Syracuse, N.Y. ― When reports came out three weeks ago that Alan Griffin would test the NBA draft waters, the likelihood of his return to Syracuse seemed remote.
Griffin ended any chance of coming back for another year with the Orange on Friday when he posted a message and a video on his Instagram and Twitter feeds that he was entering the NBA draft.
“I believe it’s time to start the next chapter in my journey by entering my name in the 2021 NBA draft,’' Griffin says in the video.
Griffin, a 6-foot-5 forward, averaged 13.3 points and 5.8 rebounds for Syracuse last season after spending his freshman and sophomore seasons at Illinois.
Griffin isn’t on many NBA draft boards, but in the video he noted that his father, Adrian, had to grind to get into the league, too. Adrian Griffin, who played college ball at Seton Hall, played nine seasons in the NBA despite not being drafted. Adrian Griffin is now an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors.
At one point in the video, Alan Griffin calls his father to inform him of his decision to enter the draft.
“Number one, I’m super proud of you,’' Adrian Griffin tells his son. “Everyone is super proud of you. It’s been a great pleasure just watching you grow.’'
In another social media post last week, Adrian Griffin revealed that Alan is now a father.
Griffin played a key role for Syracuse for much of the 2020-21 season. He led the Orange with 46 blocked shots. His .361 3-point shooting percentage was second on the team behind only Buddy Boeheim. Griffin also led SU in free-throw shooting, making 52 of his 58 attempts (89.7%).
However, Griffin suffered through a mystifying slump late in the season.
Through the first 17 games of the season, Griffin was averaging a team-high 15.8 points per game, but over the last 11 games, his scoring average slipped to 9.2 points per game.
Griffin completely dropped out of the picture in Syracuse’s postseason run.
In Syracuse’s last four games against Virginia in the ACC tournament and San Diego State, West Virginia and Houston in the NCAA tournament, Griffin scored a total of eight points. He made just one of his 13 field goal attempts.
The loss of Griffin means Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim will have new starters at both forward positions. On Friday, Quincy Guerrier announced that he would not be returning to Syracuse. Guerrier had previously announced that he would test the NBA draft. On Friday, Guerrier said if he doesn’t stay in the NBA draft, he will seek a transfer.
Syracuse has also lost reserve forwards Robert Braswell (Charlotte) and Woody Newton (Oklahoma State) to the transfer portal while adding Cole Swider from Villanova and Jimmy Boeheim from Cornell.
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