Welcome A.J. Griffin

[JayBirdHawk]

2 minutes ago, marco102 said:

 

 

 

 

Looks like he's improved on the defensive end.  I also think he can play the two or three. after watching him thus far.  

Do you know what weight he's playing at? He actually looks slimmer than he was at Duke.

You pretty much nailed it 

[kg01]

8 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

You pretty much nailed it 

Agreed.  We did nail it.  Right, @marco102 and @Spud2nique?  

On a serious note, it's way early but are we watching an all-rookie season budding?  Never thought that would be possible since we're expected to be a Trae-off team. 

[marco102]

4 minutes ago, kg01 said:

Agreed.  We did nail it.  Right, @marco102 and @Spud2nique?  

On a serious note, it's way early but are we watching an all-rookie season budding?  Never thought that would be possible since we're expected to be a Trae-off team. 

Yes, we (spud and me ) did.

AJ's been more consistent than any rookie we've drafter though their first 15 games.  I'm really surprised at how well he's playing. I just thought he'd be a great shooter.  He's shown an ability to attack close outs with a tight handle, he moves the ball, showed some good vision, and his defense is MUCH better than I thought it would be even though I didn't think it would be as much of a hinderance as some draft people thought.

[kg01]

3 minutes ago, marco102 said:

Yes, we (spud and me ) did.

AJ's been more consistent than any rookie we've drafter though their first 15 games.  I'm really surprised at how well he's playing. I just thought he'd be a great shooter.  He's shown an ability to attack close outs with a tight handle, he moves the ball, showed some good vision, and his defense is MUCH better than I thought it would be even though I didn't think it would be as much of a hinderance as some draft people thought.

Just gonna power through that first bit ..

Saw a dude on fakegm backhand compliment AJ by saying he's playing well despite being "just a shooter that doesn't defend".  I'm thinking tell me you don't watch the guy without telling me you don't watch the guy.

[NBASupes]

25 minutes ago, marco102 said:

 

 

 

 

Looks like he's improved on the defensive end.  I also think he can play the two or three. after watching him thus far.  

Do you know what weight he's playing at? He actually looks slimmer than he was at Duke.

He did but it's difficult to evaluate wings because College basketball is hell on physicality from wings whereas the NBA allows it which helps Griffin who has strong hands and a strong base with length. So while he improved, the fit for the NBA on D is just better for him than it was in college. 

[JayBirdHawk]

7 minutes ago, marco102 said:

Yes, we (spud and me ) did.

AJ's been more consistent than any rookie we've drafter though their first 15 games.  I'm really surprised at how well he's playing. I just thought he'd be a great shooter.  He's shown an ability to attack close outs with a tight handle, he moves the ball, showed some good vision, and his defense is MUCH better than I thought it would be even though I didn't think it would be as much of a hinderance as some draft people thought.

The handle:

 

The Vision:

 

The Shooting:

 

 

[RedDawg#8]

It’s not just the skillset, it’s what’s between the ears. He makes sound basketball decisions. JJ is probably the most all around skilled player on our roster but he doesn’t have the BBIQ to use it to his advantage yet.

AJ is an example of take what you are given, be aggressive, but don’t do too much. He is under control out on the court. That helps him take advantage of his entire bag without a bunch of silly mistakes. That’s what allows Nate to trust him.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

On 6/23/2022 at 9:44 PM, marco102 said:

You will be surprised by his defensive improvement. 

He's definitely not a defensive liability, considering he's a rookie.  He does make some mistakes, but he also makes good defensive plays as well.

[NBASupes]

5 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

He's definitely not a defensive liability, considering he's a rookie.  He does make some mistakes, but he also makes good defensive plays as well.

He still gets lost off the ball way too often but thankfully, the Raptors play a lot of 1 on 1 on the perimeter playing into his defensive strengths. A team that's always cutting or moving will be more of a challenge at this stage for A.J.

[HawkingAwesome]

He's a coaches kid with serious talent and physical abilities 

[MarylandHawk]

What I think I love about his game the most is his ability to stay active and move without the basketball.  He is decisive and urgent whether he has the ball or not. He puts pressure on the opposing teams because he won’t stay still and he is always an outlet for his team. He is always ready to shoot as soon as he touches the ball and if the shot is not there, he knows exactly what to do with it. This awareness seems to be translating to defense too. 

[marco102]

5 hours ago, NBASupes said:

He still gets lost off the ball way too often but thankfully, the Raptors play a lot of 1 on 1 on the perimeter playing into his defensive strengths. A team that's always cutting or moving will be more of a challenge at this stage for A.J.

But that is with 99% of rookies. This is why I was saying the defensive takes in his scouting were over blown. 

His on and off ball defense were atrocious at times in college, but you could see flashes from time to time which is what I look at in prospects.

He has been way more consistent in both. He has also improved his lateral quickness defensively which was a concern and a lot of that has to do with recognition.

[kg01]

Lookit marqo straight peacockin' on this AJG stuff.  I love it.  You bask, marqo.  Make room for @Spud2nique too.  Yall were all over this.

[NBASupes]

9 minutes ago, marco102 said:

But that is with 99% of rookies. This is why I was saying the defensive takes in his scouting were over blown. 

His on and off ball defense were atrocious at times in college, but you could see flashes from time to time which is what I look at in prospects.

He has been way more consistent in both. He has also improved his lateral quickness defensively which was a concern and a lot of that has to do with recognition.

I don't know about 99% of rookies. Usually the part 99% of rookies struggle with, A.J. isn't which is physicality of the NBA game. I've seen a good number of rookies defend in space well as well as defend on and off the ball. 

On ball is where I see the difference. Off the ball, he's still really bad. 

Compared to college where his defense was bad in most ways, I would have to agree with you.

[Spud2nique]

3 minutes ago, kg01 said:

Lookit marqo straight peacockin' on this AJG stuff.  I love it.  You bask, marqo.  Make room for @Spud2nique too.  Yall were all over this.

I don’t care if it was AJ or Kevin Pangos, a W is a W. 
 

GO HAWKS!!!

[marco102]

56 minutes ago, kg01 said:

Lookit marqo straight peacockin' on this AJG stuff.  I love it.  You bask, marqo.  Make room for @Spud2nique too.  Yall were all over this.

Lol see first post in this thread. I put my neck out there for AJ like no other prospect. I'm here for the praise and ridicule if he turns into a bust.

Edited November 20, 2022 by marco102

[marco102]

56 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

I don't know about 99% of rookies. Usually the part 99% of rookies struggle with, A.J. isn't which is physicality of the NBA game. I've seen a good number of rookies defend in space well as well as defend on and off the ball. 

On ball is where I see the difference. Off the ball, he's still really bad. 

Compared to college where his defense was bad in most ways, I would have to agree with you.

Thats an exaggeration on my part.  To come on here and say that he is struggling with some aspects of nba defense is like common knowledge.  What were your original expectations for him and how is he comparing to those expectations?

You thought he would be terrible at mostly everything. He has not been so far. 

Edited November 20, 2022 by marco102

[marco102]

 

[NBASupes]

33 minutes ago, marco102 said:

Thats an exaggeration on my part.  To come on here and say that he is struggling with some aspects of nba defense is like common knowledge.  What were your original expectations for him and how is he comparing to those expectations?

You thought he would be terrible at mostly everything. He has not been so far. 

I did and rightfully so. He was bad at everything defensively at Duke. What really helped him was the rule changes between college to the pros. Even his defensive metrics were putrid at Duke

https://tankathon.com/players/aj-griffin

Edited November 20, 2022 by NBASupes

[marco102]

Just now, NBASupes said:

I did and rightfully so. He was bad at everything defensively at Duke. What really helped him was the rule changes between college to the pros. If his defensive metrics were putrid at Duke

https://tankathon.com/players/aj-griffin

Yes, but this is me trying to help you improve as a prospect evaluator. 

The metrics for prospects with defensive tools can be thrown out the window if you see defensive flashes from them. Like AJ had perfectly reasonable explanations as to why he was bad on defense at Duke. 

1. He missed two years of development.

2. He was recovering from a recent and long term injury.

3. Duke's scheme may not have been the best fit for him.

4. He was super young.

For me those 4 things told me he wouldn't be a terrible defender at the NBa level. 

You should take a more holistic approach and not just rely only on the metrics. The people who really dug into his tape said he was not as bad a defender as the consensus made him out to be.