Blake Griffin says Dahntay Jones and Austin Rivers good for Clippers

The Clippers recently made some moves that have apparently paid off.

They acquired Austin Rivers in a three-team trade and signed Dahntay Jones to a 10-day contract.

Neither of those guys is producing anything close to big numbers for the Clippers, but their impact may extend into the immeasurable.

“Those two guys have come in and seemingly interjected, become a part of the bench without having been here all season,” Blake Griffin said. “That’s huge. Those are the type of guys you need. That’s the type of guys that make the chemistry of the team go from good to great, and take it to another level. They’ve been better than I could have asked.”

Rivers, a 22-year-old shooting guard, has averaged three points and 2.8 assists in 16.8 minutes over four games. Jones, a 34-year-old shooting guard/small forward, has averaged one point in 5.8 minutes over four games.

But both players have made an impact when they’re not on the court by fervently cheering on their teammates from the bench.

“When the bench is engaged and energetic like that it’s contagious,” Griffin said. “I think it really shows that guys are into the game and that they care about their teammates and things like that. That’s something that we want to keep going. Up 20, down 20, whatever it is, we’ve got to keep that type of enthusiasm.”

The Clippers have won three games in a row since Rivers and Jones were picked up. Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said after Thursday’s 123-84 win over the Brooklyn Nets, that he’s definitely going to sign Jones to another 10-day contract.

“We’re going to keep him,” Rivers said.

Griffin said having guys such as Rivers and Jones on the team who are so positive and involved even though they’re not making a huge impact on the court is critical to a team’s success.

“There are guys on different teams across the league who are bench guys, and guys who that that’s their role to be on the bench encouraging guys to play hard and get good minutes,” Griffin said. “That’s what Dahntay does, and that’s what Austin has done.”

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