AJ Griffin emerging as a force for Duke
Duke freshman wing AJ Griffin is emerging as a force, and key for the Blue Devils reaching their ultimate goal of a championship.
AJ Griffin has gone through the battles.
The Duke freshman wing has faced more adversity in the last two years than some players ever experience throughout their entire careers, including those with long stays in the professional ranks.
Griffin’s challenges first began as a junior in high school at Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, New York, when he suffered a left knee sprain on Jan. 3, 2020. The injury cost the then five-star recruit the remainder of his junior season after just 12 games.
He then missed the entirety of his senior season after deciding to move to Florida where he lived with his father, Adrian Griffin Sr., who played 10 seasons in the NBA.
By the time Griffin arrived in Durham, he had not played organized basketball since early 2020, sans the Allen Iverson Roundball Classic in May 2021.
“For AJ it has an impact because he’s been injured a lot,” Mike Krzyzewski said. “AJ went to one of the great high schools and an amazing high school coach. He didn’t have the benefit of being coached by that coach, and being at that school last year. That sets a kid back. Even if you’re healthy that sets them back, but it’s particularly bad when a freshman gets hurt because this is their main time for growth. We’ll see how he moves along.”
The injuries and time away from the game took a toll on the perception of Griffin’s future as an elite basketball player. After climbing up the 247Sports.com Composite, topping out at No. 6 in fall ’20, he fell all the way to No. 18 by the time final rankings were released in November ’21, just prior to his first game ever at Duke.