The voting is in for All-Star break and A.J. Griffin is going to be representing the Atlanta Hawks in the Rising Stars Challenge. The first half of the season has been anything but great for the Hawks, but there has been a new sprout of positivity with Griffin being added to the Rising Stars game roster at All-Star Weekend. The former Duke stand out is averaging nearly ten points per game and shooting 48.6% from the field.
The Hawks rookie has been getting around twenty-one minutes per game and has been effective during the minutes he plays. The rookie has made 78 three-pointers so far this season, second amongst rookie class. Griffin has played in 47 of the 51 games to this point and has started in ten of them.
Significance
Griffin was selected by the assistant coaches of the league. This was no long stretch of the imagination based on his stats. Griffin is one of only two rookies who has had more than five games of ten plus points and more than three steals. This pads the Dallas natives portfolio which also includes two buzzer beaters this year.
Hawks fans finally get something to look forward to with Trae Young in the All-Star game and Griffin in the Rising Stars Challenge. There was the block buster trade for Dejounte Murray this offseason yet the Hawks are still are underachieving and this All-Star break is important for the Hawks fanbase.
Hawks Fans Know This Pain
Atlanta sports fans know this feeling all too well, the Braves have been sub-par going into the All-Star break the last three seasons and it is an eerily familiar feeling that we have this year with the Hawks. The Hawks have done nothing but underachieve and underwhelm all season after the tremendous hype that we curated during the offseason.
