3 goals for Atlanta Hawks rookie AJ Griffin in the 2022-23 season

The Atlanta Hawks appear to have drafted well when they selected AJ Griffin with the 16th pick in the 2022 NBA draft. The Hawks had originally been slated to trade up to a high pick in order to draft Griffin but instead, he fell to them at 16. This means they did not have to give up anything else to get their man.

This then helped them trade for Dejounte Murray as they had enough picks to get the deal done. However, it is unfortunate that the Hawks were not able to play Griffin in Summer League as he had a foot injury that kept him out for all of the five games.

Still, this robbed Hawks fans of seeing their first-round pick in action for the first time. However, he is a highly touted prospect who showed that he could play a role throughout his only season with Duke. This is going to be crucial for him to garner playing time with the Hawks this season.

What made the Atlanta Hawks interested in AJ Griffin.

Griffin showed one elite skill during his time in college. He was able to shoot the ball extremely well from the perimeter. In fact, through college, he shot the 3-ball at an incredible 44.7 percent on 4.1 attempts per game.

If he can bring a 40.0 percent clip to the NBA, then he is going to get some decent minutes in his rookie season. Hawks supporters have lamented how little playing time their rookies get under head coach Nate McMillan but Griffin has a chance to buck this trend.