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

Goals for Atlanta Hawks rookie AJ Griffin for the season: No. 1 – Establish himself at training camp.

Thanks to the foot injury that kept him out of Summer League, Griffin’s next chance to prove himself in a competitive setting is training camp. This is going to be his first taste of the next level, with professionals who have been playing in this league for years.

You never know what you are capable of until you are put up against NBA-level players. College ball is a good grounding but Griffin has never played with a point guard like Trae Young or Murray. He has never experienced trying to score inside against Rudy Gobert amongst others.

The first thing that Griffin needs to do is to show that he is going to outwork any of the younger players at training camp. This includes Sharife Cooper who is a renowned gym rat, so he has his work cut out for him.

Griffin needs to show that he is willing to do what it takes to show the coaching staff that he has what it takes to make it in the NBA. Once he has done this, he needs to understand that this is the baseline of what it takes to make it in the NBA. This is where his journey now starts.