Blake Griffin describes his summer workouts to improve his shooting

There’s a reason why Blake Griffin’s outside shot looks so good this season.

The Clippers’ star power forward said that practically every day over the summer, he would go to Mira Costa High in Manhattan Beach with Sasha Vujacic to practice. They would lock themselves in the gym and shoot for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Griffin said he had a routine -- first he’d work on his form with his shooting coach, then he’d do spot-up drills, then they’d mix it up, doing drills off the dribble, pick and pops, exercises from the elbow and repetitions in the post.

“We got to the point where we were making 500-plus shots every day,” Griffin said before practice Thursday.

All of that work has definitely added a new dimension to Griffin’s game.

He opened the exhibition season scoring 24 points on nine-for-17 shooting and grabbing 12 rebounds in the Clippers’ 112-94 loss to the Golden State Warriors. In the first quarter of that game, he dazzled from the perimeter, scoring 14 points on six-for-eight shooting, including a three-pointer.

Griffin struggled in the team’s second game, a 119-114 loss to Portland, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds. But in the next game, he scored a game-high 31 points on 14-for-22 shooting against Utah.

The power forward is considered a top contender to win the MVP award this season. According to betting website Bovada, he’s the third pick with 12-1 odds, trailing LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

That award, however, is not what he’s after. He has another one in mind.

“We haven’t done anything, you know, I haven’t done anything,” he said. “My main focus is accomplishing something before worrying about all that.”

Twitter: @melissarohlin