Duke basketball: Injury concerns emerge once again for Blue Devil

A former Duke basketball wing has yet to take the floor in Summer League due to injury. 

One of the biggest concerns entering the NBA Draft surrounding Duke basketball wing AJ Griffin was his injury history.

The Archbishop Stepinac (NY) product had multiple knee and ankle injuries before arriving in Durham as a freshman and also suffered a sprained knee in the preseason with the Blue Devils.

Griffin did not miss any games due to the injury but many draft experts still raised concerns about his prior ailments.

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AJ Griffin was able to stay healthy during his one season at Duke as his only in-season injury scare came in the NCAA Tournament after he sprained his ankle late against Michigan State in the Round of 32 but returned to play in the Sweet 16 against Texas Tech.

However, the 6-foot-6 wing has yet to take the floor in the Las Vegas Summer League with the Atlanta Hawks.

After sliding to the No. 16 overall selection in the draft, Griffin is joining a Hawks team that is looking to return to the playoffs after a disappointing 2021-22 campaign but fans have yet to get a glimpse of its first-round draft pick this summer due to soreness in his foot.

Return still unknown for Duke basketball standout

Atlanta stated that AJ Griffin did not play in Saturday’s Summer League opener due to the foot soreness and did not practice with the team on Sunday for precautionary reasons, per reports.

However, the Hawks are still hoping to get Griffin on the floor at some point this week.

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The former Blue Devil has not been officially ruled out for Monday afternoon’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans but it seems unlikely the organization would potentially put him in danger of further injury with little practice time.

The Atlanta Hawks also have games scheduled on Tuesday and Thursday this week and will see one more game added to its schedule either in the Summer League Championship Game or a consolation game on Saturday or Sunday.