Generations of Blue Devils share the common experience of suiting up for Mike Krzyzewski. But the 2021-22 Duke basketball team is the only one that understands the constant duress that comes with being Coach K’s last team.
“I think last year was a great learning experience, with having all the lights on you, knowing how to deal with it and playing through it,” former Duke forward A.J. Griffin told media members on Monday, days ahead of this week’s NBA draft.
Griffin believes playing under that microscope last season will benefit him as he moves forward.
“Coach [Krzyzewski] did a great job with us, just keeping us focused on the season and each game, instead of all that outside noise that comes with his last year,” Griffin said. “Moving forward into this next chapter, it’s good to know that you can handle that pressure and continue to do what you know how to do.”
‘Pressure.’ That’s the keyword Griffin and his former Duke teammate Mark Williams brought up when discussing the challenges of last season with the Blue Devils.
“I think this year taught me a lot, especially being coach’s last year,” Williams said. “We dealt with a lot of pressure from the outside, and you learn how to adapt to that, how to deal with it, as far as the media.
“Every game it’s a different level of intensity; every team was trying to beat Coach K, every team was trying to be a part of history.”
During Thursday night’s NBA draft, Duke can tie the record for the most players selected in the first round from one school — Kentucky had five players selected in the opening round of the 2010 NBA Draft. Griffin and Williams have gone through the draft process with their former Duke teammates Paolo Banchero, Trevor Keels and Wendell Moore.
“Going through this process with my teammates is a rare and fun experience,” Griffin said. “You don’t usually get four other guys that are getting drafted the same night. It’s not only exciting for me, but exciting for my teammates and where they go. And to go through this process together, that bonds us even more.”
Despite the pressure and commotion that followed Krzyzeweski’s retirement announcement ahead of the 2021-22 season, Griffin and Williams both said they enjoyed their collegiate experience.
“I mean, it’s fun in college. You travel all across the country, play a bunch of different teams,” Williams, a 7-foot center, said. “It’s quite the experience, I’d say.”
Griffin, who’s among the draft’s youngest players at 18 years old, explained why he decided to play at Duke instead of taking another path, such as playing on the NBA’s G League Ignite developmental team.
“That college experience, it’s unique, and you’re never gonna get that going a different route,” Griffin said. “I gained a lot of maturity and growth as a person that year, so I was grateful that I was able to go there.”
