Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski gives injury update on AJ Griffin prior to Sweet 16 battle
Duke forward AJ Griffin will be available to play in the Blue Devils’ Sweet 16 matchup vs. Texas Tech on Thursday.
Mike Krzyzewski made that announcement in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. Griffin appeared to roll his ankle in the second half of Duke’s win vs. Michigan State over the weekend.
“We’re healthy,” Krzyzewski told reporters. “A.J. will be fine. A.J. will be able to play.”
Coach K starts with a very welcome update:
"We're healthy. A.J. will be fine. A.J. will be able to play."
— Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) March 23, 2022
Griffin reportedly was moving well and didn’t have trouble hitting shots during the open portion of Duke’s practice on Wednesday afternoon.
A.J. Griffin is running, going through practice in full, and draining 3s per normal. In case you needed further confirmation he's "fine."
— Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) March 23, 2022
Griffin has been a key player for Duke all season and is one of the top 3-point shooters in the country. He’s shooting 45.5 percent from long range this season.
However, Griffin has been in a bit of a slump recently. He’s scored more than 10 points in just one of Duke’s five postseason games so far. Griffin did have 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting in a narrow win over Miami in the ACC Tournament.
So far in the NCAA Tournament, Griffin has 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting. He is 3-of-10 from 3-point range in that span.
If Duke is going to break down Texas Tech’s No. 1-ranked defense, it will likely need a better performance from Griffin.
Tipoff is at approximately 9:40 p.m. ET on Thursday night.