The dad mentioned in the title of this article is not Peter Griffin from the series Family Guy but Adrian, a former NBA player who notably worked for the Mavericks and the Celtics and current assistant to Nick Nurse on the Raptors bench. The youngest of the family, Adrian Griffin Jr. – AJ for the intimates – is not the player the most flashy of his cuvée, but he is one or even le best winger of this Draft 2022.
# ARE PROFIL GROSSO MODO
- Age: 18 years old. He was born the day Paul Kagame was elected President of the Republic of Rwanda, you are now less stupid than 20 seconds ago.
- Position: Winger, a good 3&D as we like.
- Crew : Duke Blue Devils, in the last team in history coached by Coach K.
- Cut : 198 centimeters. The same size as Zion Williamson.
- Weight: 101 kg. Not the same weight as Zion Williamson.
- Wingspan: 213 centimeters, which is Chet Holmgren’s size roughly.
- Statistics 2021-22 : 10.4 points at 49.3% shooting and 44.7% from distance, 3.9 rebounds, 1 assist and 0.6 lost ball per game on average.
- Comparison : Jimmy Butler old Jaylen Brown and ceilingJustise Winslow made in Duke and poster?
- Prévision Draft TrashTalk : 7th or 9th placewe don’t like even numbers.
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Adrian Darnell Griffin Jr. hails from White Plains, New York, and therefore inherited the name from his father, who played eight seasons in the NBA between 2000 and 2008. ‘Adrian the dad is currently a member of Nick Nurse’s coaching staff in Toronto, and has been for four years. And the least we can say is that the 2019 NBA champion with the Raptors was able to instill the beautiful values of basketball in his children. The eldest son Alan notably evolved on the side of the university of Syracuse before joining the G-League. Youngest Aubrey plays for the University of Connecticut, one of the major programs in women’s college basketball. AJ, the youngest of the family, takes the same directions as his sister and decides to join one of the leading universities in men’s basketball: the Duke Blue Devils.
For his year in North Carolina, all eyes are not on him. We are witnessing the farewell season of Coach K, and the NBA scouts only have eyes for Paolo Banchero, announced on the podium of the next Draft. AJ’s start to the 2021-22 season was aborted by a bad knee injury that kept him out of pre-season. He therefore begins the year on the Duke bench as the sixth man and then increases in power as the season progresses. He will even be elected member of the All-Freshman Team of his conference, the ACC. His season will end in apotheosis since thanks to his 18 points in the March Madness quarter-final, the winger will take Duke to the Final Four. Stadium that had not been reached since the last title of the Blue Devils in 2015. His best game of the season, however, took place on the floor of the rival, North Carolina, where the Blue Devils inflicted a nice spanking on the Tar Heels on February 7th.
Mike Krzyzewski’s last trip to the Dean Dome? A rouste of 20pts inflicted on UNC (87-67). Yikes.
AJ Griffin is always so sparkling with #9 Duke.
27pts at 11/17 and 3/6 at 3-pts. Best shooter in the league. pic.twitter.com/ZfHsNUObVJ
— #MidMajors (@MidnightCampus) February 7, 2022
AJ Griffin has a unique physique: he’s not the tallest of wingers but is already very beefy for his age. No need to do additional weight training sessions before the Draft. His build benefits him enormously, so he can defend in any position without any problem. On the other side of the field, we feel that he is already ready for the NBA. His reading and understanding of the game is very advanced, and he can thank Papa for that. He knows where to place himself behind the arc to receive the ball, and behind in catch-and-shoot it enquiller. AJ Griffin’s shooting from the parking lot is more than reliable, his percentages are unreal: 44.7 percent from three-pointers is the third-best percentage in the ACC. Even JJ Redick, Duke’s all-time leading scorer, couldn’t do better during his four years with the Blue Devils. If the shot is not open, the winger will take the time to apply his passes without wasting the ball. With his small average of 0.6 lost balls per game, the New Yorker knows how to take care of leather as if it were his pet goldfish.
But we will have to take a few weak points into consideration, in particular injuries. And that he surely got from his sister who hasn’t played all season. In high school, AJ had already been bothered quite a bit by a rather capricious ankle and knee, and when she got to college, her knee was up. The franchise that will select him next June will be aware of the risk, now if he spends his entire rookie season in good health, this will greatly reduce the preconceptions. That being said, these injuries have a far more serious effect on AJ’s game and will have to be watched closely. Indeed, we feel that he exploits the drive and the finish too little near the circle because of these injuries: barely a quarter of his shots scored over the season have been taken in the racket. His start in drive is not fast enough, the first step not explosive enough. With a handle that lacks fluidity, it could be a concern within the League. AJ Griffin has a bit too restricted an offensive palette, his game is not varied enough and therefore too predictable by a defender who has studied the scouting report. After that won’t stop him from bringing both sides of the pitch, then if the winger lands in a franchise with a good point guard who knows how to drop his ball… We’ll have to watch the heads, AJ won’t stop letting go the bombinettes of the parking lot in catch-and-shoot in the NBA.
# SO IF WE SUMMARIZE…
Points forts :
- Physics ready for the League
- Reading and understanding the game
- 3-point shot
Weak points :
- Injuries to consider
- Handle to thin
- Lack of exploitation of the drive
MOCK DRAFT LEVEL, WHAT DOES IT SAY?
The franchise that will recover AJ Griffin on June 23 will be very lucky, and his unique physique which already has the game vision, the physique and the fundamentals will become one of their assets on the wing. The mock drafts do not yet know where he will end up, but he is mainly projected at the Blazers where the fit next to Lillard and Simons can be more than good.