In a stunning Thursday report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, former Duke basketball star AJ Griffin is debating whether or not he should walk away from the game of basketball.
Griffin, who spent one season with the Blue Devils in 2021-22, has only been in the NBA for two seasons.
The Atlanta Hawks drafted him with the 16th overall pick in 2022, just months after he helped lead Duke to the Final Four, and he showed plenty of promise as a rookie. Griffin averaged 8.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in his first NBA campaign, playing 19.5 minutes per game and even appearing in the starting lineup 12 times.
However, Griffin appeared to take a step back in his sophomore season. He only took the court 20 times in 2023-24, averaging 2.4 points per game, and his 3-point percentage plummeted from 39.0% to 25.6%. The Hawks traded him to the Houston Rockets earlier this offseason.
Charania’s report did not include any potential reasons for why Griffin would step away from the sport, but the longtime NBA insider didn’t make it sound like there was much of a decision left to make.
“Sides are preparing for his departure from the game,” Charania wrote.
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1834329384498454746
Griffin, who turned 21 years old last month, averaged 10.4 points and made 44.7% of his 3-point attempts during his lone collegiate season.