Duke freshman AJ Griffin reveals plans for next season

Duke Blue Devils’ electrifying freshman A.J. Griffin officially declared for the 2022 NBA Draft, the school announced in a release on Twitter on Sunday afternoon. The gifted sharpshooter averaged over 44 percent from three-point range in his first and only season with the Duke program last year — putting him in a category of the nation’s truly elite shooters. The 6-foot-6, 222 pound small forward averaged 10.4 points per game, 3.9 rebounds per game, and one assist per game last year.

Check out the announcement below.

League’s getting a good one!

Congrats @whoisAG21! #DukeintheNBA 🔵😈 pic.twitter.com/A4uQWApGAL

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) April 24, 2022

In the announcement released by the school, there was also a statement written by Coach K, the Blue Devils former head coach.

“AJ was one of the best shooters in the nation and his skillset is exactly what NBA teams are looking for. He is a remarkable young man that comes from a beautiful family and we’re certainly going to miss them. AJ showed up every day with a smile on his face and his positive energy was infectious. We appreciate everything that he did for our program and know that great things will happen for him,” Krzyzewski said.

Coach K’s statement is a spot-on analysis of his skill set. It will be hard to find a shooter in the 2022 NBA Draft that’s as pure of a shooter as Griffin. In departing the Blue Devils’ program, he becomes the fifth player to leave. That’s kind of been the normal for the Blue Devils, as they just keep reloading with some of the nation’s top blue-chip prospects, per usual.

Griffin had his best performance of the 2022 NCAA Tournament in a 78-69 Elite Eight victory against the Arkansas Razorbacks. He poured in 18 points, drilling seven of his nine shots from the field. The freshman also nailed two of three attempts from beyond-the-arc, grabbed three rebounds, and swatted one block. According to the On3 Consensus Rankings for the 2021 class, Griffin was rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 23 overall player in America.