Evaluating the AJ Griffin trade between Atlanta and Houston

After a difficult second season, the Atlanta Hawks decided to part ways with third-year forward AJ Griffin and send him to the Houston Rockets in exchange for the 44th overall pick in the NBA draft. That pick turned into forward Nikola Djurisic.

Griffin had a solid rookie season with the Hawks in 2022-23, averaging 8.9 points per game and shooting 39 percent from three-point range in 72 games. Last season, he played in 20 games, averaging 2.4 points per game and shooting just 25 percent from three-point range. Griffin took time away from the team for a personal absence in December. He never really found his groove last season, and that can probably be attributed in part to his playing time. Being inserted into the lineup for 5-10 minutes at a time and then sitting out multiple games afterward is not conducive to the development of young players.

However, he didn’t play very well in the minutes he was given. After starting the season well, he played only seven games in November, then withdrew in December due to personal reasons. The three-point range he displayed in his rookie season did not carry over into his sophomore campaign, as he forced shots and struggled to be efficient in his appearances. In February, he was assigned to the G League and looked more like the player he was during his rookie season. It was to be expected, but he made a habit of coming off the bench with the College Park Skyhawks and averaged 14.2 points per game on 43.2 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. He also recorded 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game in his six appearances with College Park. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury that cut his season short.

Griffin is still a talented player who has a legitimate chance to make the three-point range. He should have been sent to the G League sooner since he wasn’t able to contribute during his time on the 18-man roster. I think he needs to improve defensively, but he showed signs of growth with College Park and likely would have continued to improve with more time. I kind of understand why he was traded since he came out of Snyder’s rotation, but he could have used more time in the G League to regain some of the form he showed in 2022-23.

There is still a chance the Hawks could keep Durisic, but that is not known at this time.

Durisic is a strong and creative player with the ball in his hands, but he’s going to have to develop his off-ball game to have a role in the league. If Atlanta keeps him, I think he’ll probably see some minutes in the G-League. Atlanta has done a great job developing guys in College Park, so that could be a great place for Durisic.

Durisic was the 37th player on Sam Vecenie’s chart for The Athletic. Here are what Vecenie said were his strengths before the draft:

STRENGTHS: Djurišić is tall for a creative winger: 2.01m without shoes with a wingspan of 2.03m and a standing reach of 2.03m. It has bounce, lift and a certain flexibility. His sideline agility time of 10.63m was among the best in the combine, especially for his size. He also has strength that he can access when driving to the basket. Creativity is the key to his game. Djurišić is very lively in the way he attacks defenders, and his movements are sudden. He is constantly aggressive and inquisitive, trying to make things happen. He wants to increase the pace and tempo of the game with speed and skill. He is confident. He thinks he’s the best player every time he steps on the field.

Investing in Djurišić is investing in the idea that he can be a big wing creator in the long run. Djurišić is very crafty in the way he attacks the game. He tries to pressure you. That’s what works best for off-ball screens right now. He loves to attack and try to get downhill and is also creative in trying to find creases. He knows how to split ball screens and is also good at getting bigs out when he can to try to find a mismatch. He waits patiently for top-level defenders to make their move and then tries to attack them with suddenness. He can beat bigs off the rebound in isolation. In that light, he’s a three-level threat. He’s willing to stop and jump behind the 3-point line, pull up mid-range or try to drive to the rim. He has an unpredictable pace in his attacking style that makes him slippery and difficult to stay in front of. Being a second-hand creator has some advantages.

Betting on Djurišić also means banking on his ability to pass. Djurišić clearly has a vision for the game. He is good at drawing defenders towards him and finding angles to make clearances or on-the-fly passes to players in dunk position. I think he’s better when he makes quicker decisions and gets things done faster. Again, his creativity shines through here at times. He throws fun wraparound and dribble passes, one-handed, and he can do it at high speed. At Mega this season, he averaged almost four assists per game.

Djurišić has also made significant progress as a finisher this season. He’s hit 58.2 percent of his attempts at the rim in half-court setups, according to Synergy, a high number considering many of them were self-created in the second half of the season. His unpredictability helps him generate touches in the paint. He also does a good job of converting that creativity into power; he jumps well off one foot to catch defenders before they’ve fully established their positioning. He doesn’t sky, but he can finish above the rim in traffic. He’s had 25 dunks this year, including 15 in half-court setups. I liked the way he’s gotten the ball back as a finisher this year. He’s made a few spin moves to get himself out of the way, as well as some tough Euro steps around players in traffic. He’s shown improvement as an off-ball mover and cutter this season, putting himself in more dangerous positions off screens or early in attacks.

Djurišić has clean mechanics in his top half that make you believe he will be a shooter at some point. He has confidence every time he gets up. As mentioned above, he is a legitimate threat on three levels – very good ball recovery and good balance before the takedown. He has a chance to be a scorer on the ball. Beyond that, he’s also a solid driver to the basket. Given his number of shots to the basket, his field goal percentage of 53.5 is acceptable for a teenager at this level when he gets there about three times per game. It’s easy to imagine Djurišić as a fun dribble-pass-shoot weapon at nearly 6-8 in shoes. He draws contact and makes mistakes. Djurišić is an active defender. He wants to play hard and try to disrupt things. The size, strength and athleticism are there to potentially make that side work. “

Grade: C-

I don’t like this trade with the Hawks and I think they passed on Griffin a little too quickly, but he was obviously out of the rotation and wasn’t going to be a factor moving forward. Hopefully he can find a way to get his shot back and improve as a defender to have a chance to play in Houston. The Rockets are a well-stocked team and it will be difficult to crack their rotation.

If Durisic proves to be a bargain in the second round, this trade could prove beneficial for Atlanta. If that doesn’t happen and Griffin becomes a solid player somewhere, many will wonder if Atlanta moved him too soon. It all depends on how both players perform in their new destinations.