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College basketball analyst makes fascinating AJ Griffin comparison

SimonGibbs_UserImageby:Simon Gibbs01/29/22

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Duke forward AJ Griffin is taking his game up another notch at the best possible time for the Blue Devils, and he’s earned himself some lofty comparisons in the process.

Green, a freshman from White Plains, NY, is averaging 8.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per contest, while shooting 50.9 percent from the line, but he’s received a significant minutes boost of late — and he’s making the most of it. Ever since Duke opened up ACC play against Virginia Tech on Dec. 22, a game in which he dropped 13 points, he’s been averaging 11 points per contest, and he’s shooting at a highly-efficient rate. CBS college basketball insider Jon Rothstein believes Griffin has a bright future; so much so that he compared the Duke freshman to a former Blue Devils star.

“A.J. Griffin is emerging for Duke around the same time that Justice Winslow emerged for the Blue Devils seven years ago,” Rothstein said in a tweet. “A brilliant performance today at Louisville. And the Cards? They play HARD for Mike Pegues.”

Griffin certainly rose to the occasion against Louisville (11-10), helping Duke move to 17-3 and further uphold its No. 9 ranking with a 74-65 win. Griffin played 34 minutes, two minutes shy of his season-high tally, and he finished with 22 points on 8-of-13 from the field, along with four rebounds and two steals. His 22 points was enough to lead all Duke scorers, as he took it up a notch on a day where the usual suspects were less efficient than normal. Paolo Banchero managed just 11 points on 5-of-15 shooting, while Wendell Moore Jr. had just 10 points on 3-of-9 from the field.

A product of Archbishop Stepinac, Griffin is living up to his high status as a recruit. Coming out of high school, he was tabbed a four-star recruit via the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, which made him the No. 5 small forward in the 2021 recruiting class and the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2021 class.

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WATCH: Duke guard AJ Griffin hits ridiculous shot at halftime buzzer

Griffin gave Duke some momentum heading into halftime against Louisville on Saturday.

With 0.6 seconds left, Griffin got the inbounds pass and immediately shot a three-ball. He drained it to extend the Blue Devils’ lead to 40-35 over the Cardinals and take him to 12 first-half points.

It was quite a shot, too. Watch.

At one point, Duke led Louisville 24-8. But the Cardinals — in their first game under interim head coach Mike Pegues — made it a two-point game with 29 seconds left. Griffin put the Blue Devils back ahead by two possessions and gave his team a huge boost into the break.

Duke would later pull away in the second half, outscoring Louisville 34-30, giving the Blue Devils a 74-65 win.