Duke basketball: One five-star PG who might earn Blue Devil offer

An exceptional 2022 point guard has a connection or two to Duke basketball.

Recently, 247Sports added a new 2022 name to the Duke basketball watchlist. And though there’s no offer yet from the Blue Devils to Hightower (Texas) point guard Bryce Griggs — the staff still hasn’t handed out any offers to current high school juniors — the site has labeled the interest as “warm” between the powerhouse recruiting staff and the five-star prospect.

That “warm” label is one of only three for Griggs, and the others are with Kansas and Memphis, two of the reported nine programs that have extended an offer to the 6-foot-2, 180-pound slick floor general who ranks No. 21 overall on the 247Sports 2022 Composite.

Plus, Griggs and Westtown School (Pa.) four-star center Derrick Lively, who ranks No. 38, are the only two with the “warm” label on the list of more than a dozen potential 2022 Duke basketball targets.

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The relatively strong Blue Devil interest probably has something to do with the fact that former Duke guard Daniel Ewing hails from the same hometown as Griggs and is nowadays a coach/mentor for his TJ Ford AAU team. It could also help that the teen has patterned much of his on-court flare after Kyrie Irving, a former one-and-done Blue Devil and six-time NBA All-Star.

Whether dribbling between his own legs or the legs of an opponent, it’s clear from the sophomore-year mixtape below that, like Irving, Griggs has a wide array of weapons when it comes to slicing and dicing defenses. Moreover, he seems to exude a high dose of confidence while oozing potential, especially when it comes to his court vision and outside shooting.

What an insider has to say about the potential Duke basketball target

This week, Travis Branham of 247Sports provided the following update on Griggs, confirming the Irving connection:

“We are a long way away from a Griggs commitment, but the five-star guard is hearing from two main programs…Memphis and Kansas. He has dreams of playing for a blueblood program and has a relationship with Kyrie Irving but is also not ruling out the professional pathway.”

Branham ranked Griggs the No. 5 scorer among all current preps and gave the following scouting report:

“[Griggs] is an absolute bucket…He is very aggressive off the bounce and can consistently get dribble pull-ups or use his shot to keep defenders off-balance to get in the paint and finish around the rim…Even when you play good defense and force him into a tough shot, he just has a way of having better offense and putting points on the board.”

To what extent Mike Krzyzewski and his assistants in Durham actively pursue Griggs remains to be seen. Yet factoring in his Blue Devil ties and obviously impressive skill set, his name is definitely worth keeping an eye on for now.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting news and views.