College Basketball

A.J. Griffin Draft Profile: Stats, Highlights and 2022 NBA Draft Projection

by
Luke Reimer
June 4, 2022

The 2022 NBA Draft is set to take place on Thursday, June 23rd. Following the results of the NBA Draft Lottery, we now have a full picture of this year’s order of picks. There are plenty of quality prospects in this year’s NBA Draft class. Among the players that are expected to be lottery picks this year is forward A.J. Griffin out of Duke. The following is a complete A.J. Griffin draft profile including stats, highlights and an NBA Mock Draft projection.

A.J. Griffin NBA Draft Profile, Stats, Highlights and Projection

A.J. Griffin
Position: Forward
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 222
Age: 18
Team: Duke Blue Devils

Credit: Kelley L. Cox/USA TODAY Sports

2021-22 A.J. Griffin Stats | Duke Blue Devils

G	Pts	Reb	Ast	FG%	3FG%	FT%	Stl	Blk	TO
39	10.4	3.9	1.0	49.3%	44.7%	79.2%	0.5	0.6	0.6

A.J. Griffin Draft Profile

Strengths

At 6-6, 222 lbs, A.J. Griffin has the perfect size to be an NBA wing. Proved by his 45% shooting from three in his lone season at Duke, Griffin should be able to make an impact immediately as a three-point scorer. Griffin is more of a catch-and-shoot guy though, as he showed flashes of an ability to create his own jumper. Griffin has also shown the ability to take defenders off of the dribble and get to the hoop. The wing player can lull his defender to sleep and drive right by them with a spin move in the paint. Griffin also has the wingspan to disrupt passing lanes.

Weaknesses

If defenders don’t bite at Griffin’s pump fakes, he will have to continue to develop a strong first step. Griffin needs to be a better defender if he wants to see major minutes in the NBA. He has shown that he is slow to react to ball movement and sometimes gets stuck on screens. Griffin also seems to be somewhat of a one-trick pony, as his role at Duke was primarily a three-point shooter. Playing in big moments is a concern as well, as Griffin seemed to disappear in Duke’s Final Four game against North Carolina. Using his left hand on drives is also an area where Griffin needs to succeed.