AJ Griffin's injury an early test for the freshman
Duke is hopeful AJ Griffin's injury will not significantly impede his development.
Injuries are inevitable.
For Duke, it seems as if it’s a recurring theme for talented freshmen. An injury in the preseason, or at the mid-point has almost become the norm. At least that’s how it feels for most Blue Devil fans.
Kyrie Irving, Marvin Bagley III, Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson and Jalen Johnson are just a handful of guys that missed time due to injuries.
In reality, we all know it’s not an isolated situation for Duke. It’s just part of the game.
That fact, though, doesn’t lessen the blow of freshman AJ Griffin’s Oct. 8 injury to his right knee. Luckily for him and the Blue Devils, it was just a sprain that did not reveal any “significant structural damage,” according to Duke Athletics.
“A.J. strained his knee,” Mike Krzyzewski said. “No surgical stuff. Nothing torn or broken. And it’s just a matter of rehab. Hopefully it will be in weeks (that he heals) but I can’t give you a timeline. He’s off crutches and doing well, but still has a lot of therapy to do.”
Griffin is no stranger to battling back from injuries, which makes this setback an even bigger concern - maybe not as much from a health standpoint, but rather a development point of view.
The talented freshman has a history of injuries, and as a result he’s missed a significant amount of time over the last couple of years.
That fact is certainly something Krzyzewski believes hinders the young freshman.
“For AJ it has an impact because he’s been injured a lot,” he 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.”
While that all sounds somewhat grim, the fact is Griffin is supremely talented. He’s shown that throughout the summer and the early days of fall prior to the injury.
Sure his development will be hampered to a degree, but his teammates have no concerns about how Griffin will bounce back.
“AJ is a great player, he’s a great guy and he’s going to do everything he needs to do to get back on the court as quickly as he can,” senior co-captain Joey Baker said. “I think he’ll be fine. He’s got people he can rely on and we’re going to help him get back as soon as he’s able to be back on the court. Me and Wendell, and all the other guys - everyone else on the team - loves AJ and we’ll help him get going as quick as possible.”
The help Baker refers to will be extremely important over the time in which Griffin will be out. Krzyzewski said there is no current timetable, though the official Duke release estimated it to be four to six weeks.
“We’re all just trying to be there for him, keep his spirits up because I know he’s going to do great things when he comes back.” - Wendell Moore on AJ Griffin
There were positive signs on Friday at Countdown to Craziness, though. During the player introductions, Griffin joined his teammates and danced to his music of choice before gingerly jogging the length of the court giving high-fives to the Cameron Crazies.
Whether that’s an indicator of a shortened timetable is unclear, but it certainly was not a bad sign.
No matter the amount of time Griffin misses, the mental toll an injury can have is something the Blue Devils are not overlooking.
Wendell Moore knows all too well what it’s like to miss time due to an injury, and he has made it a point to be a positive voice in Griffin’s ears.
“Any time you get injured it’s going to be a spot you can go into where you really think you’re alone,” Moore said. “And the main thing for him is he hasn’t had the opportunity to play in almost two and a half years because of injury. When you’re that talented of a player it’s really hard to go through.
“We’re all just trying to be there for him, keep his spirits up because I know he’s going to do great things when he comes back.”
The good news is he will be back. Only time will tell how long it takes him to become a consistent contributor, but that fact would have also held true no matter when he took the court - injury or not.
That’s not to diminish Griffin’s capabilities, but rather highlight the fact he hasn’t played competitive basketball in quite some time. There would be a transition period no matter what. The injury sets that back, but he was making strides from a basketball standpoint, so he won’t be starting from scratch when he returns.
Moore believes Griffin was “just starting to figure things out” when the injury occurred. He noted the energy and enthusiasm he brings to the team, and that it will be missed.
Duke should be fine in the short-term while waiting for Griffin to return. When he does they’ll be adding a lottery pick caliber player to the lineup and no matter how long it takes him to fully adjust, his presence will be significant for Duke.
“The energy he brought everyday was amazing and he was starting to combine that with the talent he’s able to bring. He’s a very special player.”
With AJ, Duke has a legit 8 and then put in Jones and Blakes as needed. This group has championship potential