By: Ben McCormick
December 13, 2022
On Tuesday, the NBA announced a brand new award: the Jerry West award. The award will be given to the most clutch player in the league. After hitting his second game winner in less than a month, Atlanta Hawks guard AJ Griffin would get my vote if the season ended today.
One of the biggest surprises in the rookie class this season has been Griffin. The former Blue Devil is averaging 10.1 PPG—and rising—one of just seven rookies averaging double-figure scoring. The Hawks wing is the third youngest player in the NBA and was a prospect many were skeptical about heading into the 2022 NBA Draft.
Glen Willis, a writer for SB Nation, wrote a scouting report for Griffin ahead of the draft. In it he wrote that, "AJ Griffin is a fascinating overall evaluation even if teams may end up primarily having a fear of over-drafting the young forward." Willis noted that fear of drafting Griffin likely had to do with the fact that he was "so young and inexperienced." He was right of course, Griffin is young and inexperienced when compared to other rookies. His up and down play after a string of injuries that kept him sidelined for much of his later high school career and limited him during his time at Duke were a cause for concern. That concern is what led the preseason projected top-3 pick to slip out of the lottery and to the Atlanta Hawks at 16th on draft night.
I must admit that even I had reservations about Griffin's prospects during his rookie season. I knew that Atlanta would have to use him often for him to be effective, and they would have to use him correctly. Being drafted by the wrong team can kill a career. And to be honest, after Cam Reddish's experience with the Hawks, I think it was fair to be skeptical about how they would use Griffin. But Griffin made the most out of the little time he was given to start the season, and his role has only snowballed from there.
Griffin played just six minutes in each of Atlanta's first two games. He didn't waste the opportunity though. He shot 2-3 from three in both contests, scoring 8 points in his first career game, and 10 in his second. Immediately, Hawks head coach Nate McMillan and his staff recognized Griffin's shot making potential. The young rookie played a whopping 31 minutes in just his sixth career game. That game served as a breakout game for Griffin, who scored 24 points on 10-15 shooting in a win over the Bucks, whom the Hawks had just lost to nine days earlier; a game in which Griffin had been scoreless.
It wasn't until late November that Griffin started to score with consistency. The beginning of his consistent play can be traced to his first game-winner of his career which came against the Raptors on Nov. 19. Griffin iced the game on a fast break lob from Trae Young to beat the buzzer. He scored 17 points in the win and it was the first of four consecutive games scoring in double-digits, the longest such streak of his short career (although he currently stands at three consecutive after Monday night's game vs. Memphis).
Griffin started December off strong with a 24 point, and career-high tying, performance against Denver. As his scoring output becomes more and more consistent, you can't help but get excited about the young man's potential. His game is a bit reminiscent of former Blue Devil Gary Trent Jr., who sort of flies under the radar, but plays his role exceptionally well (Trent averages over 17 PPG for Toronto in his fifth season). Unlike Trent, Griffin is averaging double-digits just a month and a half into his career.
Griffin often found himself being the hottest man on the court during his time at Duke. For example, the young wing dropped a career-high 27 points in the Dean Dome in Duke's 20-point blowout victory over the Tar Heels last season. However, in the Final Four battle between the two teams, Griffin ran cold and scored just 6 points. Much of his game lives and dies by his three-point stroke. But, Griffin's game can be much more than "the Three-and-D guy". Yes, he is a remarkable shooter. And, yes, he is a promising perimeter defender. But Griffin has handle, athleticism, and post skills that could help him elevate his game to new heights as he matures in the league.
On Sunday, Griffin nearly replicated his first game winner with a lob play to beat the Bulls in overtime. With just half a second left, former Blue Devil Jalen Johnson threw Griffin an alley-oop that led to the rookie's second game winner in less than a month, and just in time for Hawks fans to start campaigning for him to be the inaugural NBA Clutch Player of the Year.
In the opening months of his career, its easy to see how Griffin might be overlooked. His success can get lost in all the smoke revolving around No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero, who is having a historically dominant start to his rookie season. Banchero is averaging a rookie best 21.8 PPG. He also ranks third among rookies in rebounds and assists, 6.9 RPG and 3.8 APG.
Banchero is the current leader for NBA Rookie of the Year. If he were to win, he would be the first former Blue Devil to win since Kyrie Irving in 2011-2012. Not only is Banchero dominant among rookies, his early success is drawing All-Star voting attention. He would become the first Duke player to play in the All-Star game as a rookie since Grant Hill did so in 1994-1995. Still, I wouldn't get married to the idea of Banchero being an All-Star, at least not this season. The Orlando Magic currently sit at 8-20, good for 13th in the eastern conference. The lack of team success will likely be enough to keep him out without even considering the aversion of coaches to putting a rookie in the game.
Griffin and Banchero could be the first pair of Blue Devil rookies to each average double-digits since Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett did so in 2019-2020. They could be the first pair of Blue Devil rookies to make the All-Rookie teams since Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow in 2015-2016.
The transition to the NBA has not been quite as seamless for the other four rookies from Duke. Mark Williams, the 15th overall pick in last year's draft (one higher than Griffin), has played in just three games so far, averaging 3.7 PPG. Most of Williams' time has spent in the G-League with the Greensboro Swarm, where he averages 21. 9 PPG and 12 RPG through nine games.
Even though he hasn't seen much floor time in Charlotte, Williams has a buzzer-beater of his own to boast in Greensboro. The 7-footer banked in a shot from nearly half court to force overtime. Currently, Williams is battling a left ankle sprain which is sidelining him from playing; even in Greensboro.
Wendell Moore Jr., the 26th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, started the season seeing very little floor time in Minnesota. Moore played in the season opener against OKC, although it was only for two minutes and he remained scoreless. He didn't play again until exactly a month later against Indiana on Nov. 23. Moore didn't score his first career points until Nov. 28 against Washington. The very next game, Moore got the first start of his career, and scored 7 points.
Increasingly, the Timberwolves staff is becoming more confident in Moore as a rotational piece. Despite scoring a career-best 9 points following his lone start, Moore has only scored in four contests so far. But, there is one point I cannot stress enough...it...is...SO early. Way too early for any conclusions about Moore, or any rookie, to be drawn.
In five games down in the G-League, Moore has averaged 18 PPG and 4.2 APG. And speaking of the G-League Duke has two rookies on two-way contracts: Trevor Keels and Jack White.
Keels, the 42nd pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, has played in just one game for the New York Knicks, for only one minute. Without his first career bucket, Keels has spent most of his time with the Worchester Knicks. There, he is averaging 14.8 PPG.
Jack White made his NBA Summer League debut this past summer with the Nuggets, and he turned that opportunity into an NBA two-way contract. In eight games with Denver, White is averaging 0.3 PPG after scoring his first bucket on Dec. 4. When he is down with the Grand Rapids Gold, White is averaging an impressive double-double: 17.2 PPG and 10.3 RPG.
As the season presses on, Moore, Williams, Keels, and White will get more opportunities and there will be much more dialogue about their prospects in the league. For now, Duke fans can sit back and smile at the fact that they have six rookies in the NBA, two of which are on pace to be All-Rookie team members.
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