10/25/22

By: OOSSports

Although it was short, this rookie made his NBA debut COUNT!

After registering 2 DNPs in a row to start his NBA career, Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillian brought in his newest first round pick in a blowout loss to the Hornets. Although he

The Hawks rookie scored five consecutive points in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 126-109 loss to the Hornets at State Farm Arena.

Griffin entered the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter. He began his career with a steal and a three-pointer. He got his second steal by intercepting a PJ Washington pass to Kelly Oubre Jr. and then receiving a pass from John Collins to set up a fast-break layup.

Despite the final score, he impressed superstar PG Trae Young,

“It’s exciting, it’s good,” Ice Trae stated, “He’s gonna have a long NBA career. He’s a sponge to learning new things. He wants to do great every time he’s on the court. It’s a start and he can play too at the same time. I was excited for him.”

Griffin, a first-round pick out of Duke (No. 16 overall), did not play in the Hawks’ first two games of the regular season. A blowout got him into his first game.
Griffin was subbed out at 7:13 left in the fourth quarter and returned with 1:40 remaining.

New Hawk Dejounte Murray also had this to say of AJ Griffin, “Him being ready to go. I don’t think you see that from young guys, not being used to playing right away then being thrown in the fire. So got to give respect to him for being ready to come in and compete at a high level.”

He made another 3-pointer once he returned to finish the game. He ended with eight points and 3 of 4 from the field.
Griffin was brought in by Hawks coach Nate McMillan in pursuit of a spark:

He made another 3-pointer once he returned to finish the game. He ended with eight points and 3 of 4 from the field.
Griffin was brought in by Hawks coach Nate McMillan in search of a spark:

“I was looking for some activity,” said McMillan. “We needed shooting, we couldn’t make any shots and I wanted to give him a try. We put him out there and he was able to knock down a shot. Got him out on the floor to bring some type of energy to that lineup.”

It might have been a short debut, but Griffin capitalized in it. It will be interesting to see the trajectory of his career and what he can ultimately turn into as a player.

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