Official announcement! The Rockets 3-way deal was reached, the rookie lore king went to Houston, netizens: The 8th son officially returned to the throne

Ball brother Kan Ball

2024-06-28 10:13

The NBA Draft officially came to an end, and during the second-round draft, the Rockets completed a three-way deal with the Hawks and Heat, bringing the former rookie king to Houston.

The Rockets officially announced that the team sent this year's No. 44 pick to get AJ Griffin from the Hawks; The Hawks got the No. 43 pick from the Heat, and the Heat got the No. 44 pick from the Rockets + cash compensation.

The Rockets reportedly made the deal through a $4.5 million trade exception that they received when they traded Porter Jr. to the Thunder. The Hawks, who received the No. 43 pick, selected guard swingman Nikola Djurisic, and the Heat used the No. 44 pick to select guard Perler Larson from the University of Arizona.

The Rockets already have a number of highly talented young players on the roster, and it doesn't make much sense to pick another player midway through the second round with the No. 44 pick. And using this signing in exchange for Hawks second-year player AJ Griffin is undoubtedly a robbery.

AJ Griffin is the No. 16 pick in the first round in 2022, one spot higher than Eason on the Rockets. Prior to that draft, AJ Griffin was predicted to be in the top 10 of the lottery pick, but eventually dropped to No. 16 due to an ankle injury and was missed by the Eagles.

It's worth mentioning that the Rockets tried out AJ Griffin before the draft and had a good impression of him, and if it wasn't for being cut by the Hawks, the Rockets would likely have chosen AJ Griffin over Ethan.

But now it seems that being cut off by the Hawks was a blessing in disguise for the Rockets, after all, they selected Ethan, who is expected to become a top 3D wing, and two years later, they used a second rotation to replace AJ Griffin, who was the favorite of the year, and went around and around, and finally realized the wish of "choosing" AJ Griffin.

AJ Griffin shined in his rookie season, playing 72 games for the Hawks in the 2022-23 season, averaging 19.5 minutes per game, contributing 8.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1 assist and 0.6 steals, with a 3-point shooting rate of 39.7%.

What is even more well-known than such excellent rookie statistics is that AJ Griffin contributed two whistle-blowing kills in his rookie season, becoming only the second player in NBA history to complete two whistle-blowing kills in his rookie season. It is an out-and-out "rookie lore king"!

Unfortunately, Griffin, who was supposed to have a bright future, was plagued by injuries in his second season, missing a lot of games due to injury, and at the same time, due to the Hawks' overcrowded front line, including DeAndre Hunter, Saddiq Bey and Jalen Johnson, AJ Griffin's playing time was also compressed.

Last season, he only played 20 games for the team, averaging 8.6 minutes per game, only 2.4 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.2 assists, and his three-point shooting rate also fell to 26%. But these declines, in addition to some of the injuries that have affected him, are more important than the fact that he almost fell out of the rotation and became a fringe player.

And in the just-concluded draft, the Hawks used the top pick to select Risachet, who is also a forward, so AJ Griffin's stay with the Hawks has lost its meaning and value. That's why the Rockets were able to trade him with a No. 44 pick.

The arrival of AJ Griffin has added a young and extremely talented forward player to the Rockets, whether it is as a rotation for the future team or a subsequent big trade, which will give the Rockets more valuable chips. And many netizens praised the Rockets deal, shouting: "Houston's eighth son is officially returned"!

The first-round rookies selected by the Rockets in recent years include: Jalen Green, Shin Jing, Ethan, Jabari Smith Jr., Thompson, Whitmore and this year's Shepard, who is known as the "Houston Seven", and now with the newly traded No. 16 pick AJ Griffin, the Rockets' young roster is full of talent, making fans begin to expect them to return to the ranks of Western Conference contenders as soon as possible.

View original image 977K

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•