3 Best Landing Spots for A.J. Griffin in 2022 NBA Draft
By Peter Dewey
Duke forward A.J. Griffin is one of the better wings in the 2022 NBA Draft, but his range seems to go all the way from around No. 5 or No. 6 to the back end of the lottery.
Griffin shot 44.7 percent from beyond the arc in his one season at Duke, and finished the season averaging 10.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game as a freshman.
The oddsmakers at WynnBET don’t expect Griffin to be a top-10 pick, as he’s -250 to be selected over pick 10 and +200 to land in the top 10.
Is there value in taking him to land in the top 10? There might be based on some of these fits:
Indiana Pacers (No. 6)
The Indiana Pacers appear to be Griffin’s ceiling, and he’d fit extremely well there after the team got rid of Caris LeVert at the trade deadline this past season.
Tyrese Haliburton and Malcom Brogdon are two solid guards to pair with Griffin on the wing, but the Duke forward is going to need to expand his offensive game to truly take the Pacers to the next level next season.
This is very bullish on Griffin, but I love the fit itself for him here.
Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 2 or No. 12)
If Griffin falls outside the top-10, I could see the Oklahoma City Thunder grabbing him at No. 12. The Thunder don’t have much at the wing spots, and Griffin certainly has a great floor as a 3-and-D player.
The Thunder could take two Duke players in this draft if they get Paolo Banchero at No. 2 and Griffin at No. 12. Griffin would fit very well alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort as a floor spacer/scorer.
Washington Wizards (No. 10)
This is right on the line of where Griffin is projected to go, and he would be immediate help in Washington for a Wizards team that is hoping to keep Bradley Beal happy.
The Wizards have a ton of wings in Corey Kispert, Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija, Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but they could move on from some of them to open up minutes for Griffin and improve the rest of the roster.
Griffin is NBA ready, so it makes sense for Washington if Beal comes back.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record in the NBA this season here.