Chris Paul says he appreciated Blake Griffin more after he left Clippers

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul didn't always get along with power forward Blake Griffin when the two were teammates with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2011-17. 

On Friday, Paul revealed on the "Up in Smoke" podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson that he's come to respect Griffin more since the two left L.A.

"It’s seriously one of those things you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone," Paul said, as transcribed by Pro Basketball Talk's Kurt Helin. "I think about it at times. And me and Blake absolutely had our issues here and there, but I actually appreciated Blake probably a lot more after I left."

Barnes said Paul and Griffin were part of a Clippers team that was one of the best to never win an NBA title. Of course Paul and Griffin's chemistry issues certainly could've gotten in the way of a championship, but they're now on to bigger and better things.