Rockets wing AJ Griffin is “significantly contemplating” leaving basketball, sources inform Shams Charania and Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter hyperlink).
In line with Charania and Iko, each Griffin and the Rockets are “getting ready for his departure from the sport.”
The sixteenth general decide of the 2022 draft, Griffin had a promising rookie season by which he averaged 8.9 factors per sport with a .465/.390/.894 taking pictures line in 72 contests (19.5 MPG).
Nonetheless, he missed time resulting from leg and ankle points and private causes in 2023/24 and didn’t play a lot when he was accessible, averaging simply 8.6 minutes per contest in 20 appearances. The previous Duke Blue Satan’s scoring numbers cratered to 2.4 PPG on 29.0% taking pictures (.256 3PT%).
After spending his first two seasons with the Hawks, Griffin was traded to Houston in June in a three-team deal that noticed Atlanta purchase the No. 43 decide (Nikola Djurisic). The Rockets had reportedly lengthy been within the 21-year-old, and in July he expressed pleasure about having a contemporary begin with Houston. However it seems his time with the group could possibly be very transient.
Griffin is on Houston’s books for a assured $3.89MM wage for ’24/25 and the Rockets may have till the tip of October to resolve whether or not or not they wish to train his $5.97MM group choice for the ’25/26 season. Based mostly on in the present day’s report, it actually feels like that choice shall be declined.
Griffin is the son of former NBA participant and longtime assistant coach Adrian Griffin, who was head coach of the Bucks for a part of final season.
