Young Duke basketball product spreads wings again for Hawks
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Atlanta Hawks rookie forward AJ Griffin has posted double-digit scoring totals in six of his past eight games. That includes the recent Duke basketball one-and-done's 24 points, tying his career-high, in his shorthanded team's 117-109 home win over the Denver Nuggets (14-8) on Friday night.
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It was Griffin's second start as a professional. The 19-year-old, who went No. 16 overall at the NBA Draft and is the third-youngest player in the league, added three rebounds, one assist, and three steals across his 35 minutes against the Nuggets while shooting 11-for-16 from the field, including his 2-for-5 clip from downtown.
Now, AJ Griffin is approaching a double-digit scoring average with his 9.6 points per game, shooting 49.3 percent from the field, 38.2 percent beyond the arc, and 7-for-7 from the charity stripe. The former five-star recruit from New York is also averaging 2.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
And he's done all of the above in only 18.7 minutes per game.
The other NBA Blue Devil on the Atlanta Hawks roster, second-year forward Jalen Johnson, drew the first start of his career on Friday night. He finished with 10 points and 10 boards in his 33 minutes of action, marking the 20-year-old's first double-double in the league.
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Atlanta (13-10) hosts the Oklahoma City Thunder (9-13) at 7:30 p.m. ET Monday.
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