Alan Griffin to Play for Lakers' Summer League Team

Former Syracuse forward Alan Griffin will play for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA's Summer League, according to multiple reports. The 6-5 forward left the Orange with one year of eligibility remaining after an up and down 2020-21 season. Griffin came to Syracuse as a transfer from Illinois during this past offseason, and received a waiver for immediate eligibility from the NCAA.

Griffin was third on the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game, second in rebounding at 5.8 per game and led the team in blocks at 1.6 per game. He made some key plays during the season, including a chase down block against Buffalo on what would have been a game winner for the Bulls. He had a key 22 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in a critical home win against Clemson. Griffin had 15 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks in an upset win over Virginia Tech. 

However, Griffin also had games with much less production. That includes a five point, three rebound outing against Miami, a scoreless performance against Northeastern, and a four point, four rebound game against North Carolina. 

Expectations were high for Griffin, who was superb off the bench at Illinois. He showed the ability to shoot, score and rebound at a high rate during his time with the Illini. Griffin decided to leave in order to find an opportunity to start and play more minutes. He had that at Syracuse when Elijah Hughes departed for the NBA.

Griffin played at least 30 minutes in 18 of Syracuse's first 24 games, but played less than 15 in each of the last four.