AJ Griffin, the No. 16 pick out of Duke in 2022, is “seriously considering” stepping away from basketball at the age of 21.
That surprising news came from Shams Charania and Kelly Iko of The Athletic. No reason for him considering this move was given.
It’s unclear if this would be permanent or temporary, but it appears it would be for an extended amount of time.
Griffin showed promise during his rookie season in Atlanta, averaging 8.9 points a game and shooing 39% from 3. He missed a chunk of time at the beginning of last season for personal reasons — the team gave no details — and even when he returned he did not crack the rotation, playing in just 20 games, averaging 2.4 points a game and shooting 29% from 3. He also struggled on the defensive end.
This summer, he was traded to Houston as part of a three-team deal where Atlanta acquired the No. 43 pick (which it used on Nikola Djurisic). Reports were that the Rockets’ front office is intrigued by Griffin and believes he has potential with them, although Houston is a team deep with young talent, so cracking the rotation would not be easy. Griffin played for the Rockets at Summer League in Las Vegas, averaging 11.6 points and 3 rebounds a game, shooting 28% from 3 across five games — not standout numbers, especially for an experienced player.
Griffin, the son of former NBA player Adrian Griffin — the coach for the first 43 games of last season in Milwaukee — is owed a guaranteed $3.9 million this season, if he retires he walks away from that. The Rockets have a $5.9 million team option for the 2025-26 season.
Whatever Griffin’s reason for potentially stepping away, let’s hope he gets the help he needs and what he is looking for.