NBA Draft: Evaluating the Upside of Alabama’s Rylan Griffen

As he looks to make a splash in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, Alabama guard Rylan Griffen has a chance to increase his draft stock.

Following a freshman season in which Rylan Griffen played a minor role off the bench for the Crimson Tide, he’s emerged as a primary starter as a sophomore and has been important in Alabama’s run to the Final Four.  

During the regular season in year two, the former top-50 recruit averaged 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per contest while shooting 39.1% from deep and 82.1% from the free throw line. While Griffen wasn’t a primary scorer on this extremely competitive roster, his efficiency as a scorer on fewer than 10 attempts per game was extremely impressive. In fact, seeing him in this complimentary role allows for a clear vision of how his game could translate at the NBA level. 

In the NCAA Tournament thus far, he’s taken his game to a new level. When his team has needed him most, Griffen has put together extremely impressive performances. At 6-foot-6, he’s the ideal off-ball or wing prospect for an NBA team who needs a scoring punch as a complimentary piece. Especially from beyond the arc, Griffen can get hot in a hurry. Over his past two tourney games, he’s converted on eight of his last 14 attempts from beyond the arc. 

On the defensive end, Griffen has the size, speed and strength to guard several positions. As such, he should be an easy fit in any system at the NBA level. Furthermore, he is able to make things happen with the ball in his hands when needed, making him the type of prospect who can slot in a guard-heavy lineup or even as more of an off-ball combo forward. 

On Saturday evening, Griffen and his teammates will take on the reigning champs and No. 1 seeded UConn Huskies in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. This will be yet another opportunity for him to increase his draft stock, whether that’s for this summer or the following in the 2025 NBA Draft. 

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.