Breaking Down Vanderbilt Basketball Commit Declan Griffiths

Griffiths is as reliable a pure shooter as Vanderbilt has landed out of high school under Mark Byington, and it’s not all that close. 

Gabe Nesmith, Ethan Mgbako, Ant Brown and Chandler Bing were all more dynamic players all around at this stage than Griffiths is, but he’s a shooting specialist that Byington will clearly love to have in his pocket.

Griffiths shot over 80% of his attempts from beyond the 3-point line on the circuit and has been best utilized when he’s consistently run off of pindowns and flairs. He’ll likely assume the same role in Spain action that Tyler Nickel did for Vanderbilt a year ago.

The appeal in Griffiths is similar to Nickel’s in that he’s got advantageous positional size on his side, a quick trigger on his jumper and a high release to prevent his shot from getting altered. Griffiths is also a multi-platform shotmaker that doesn’t necessarily have to be in rhythm with his feet set to make them, which was a fun characteristic of Nickel’s. 

Griffiths’ development path will likely be reminiscent of Nickel’s in that he’ll work to maintain his dynamic shotmaking ability while also working to become more than merely a shooter. Nickel probably had more of that in his game at this stage, but Griffiths is a standout athlete that appears to be gaining muscle and physicality. 

It’s not out of the question for Griffiths to rip a closeout and make an athletic finish around the rim or catch a lob in transition. He likely won’t create his own shot much, but he’s nearly as good of an athlete as he is a shooter and is a good fit for Byington’s transition-oriented scheme as a result. Griffiths has added a dimension of physicality to his game and appears to be using it to finish through contact at times, as well. 

Griffiths isn’t an ace defender, but he has real upside on that end because of his plus wingspan and plus athleticism. He’ll likely need to add some weight and refine his technique in order to do so, but the tools are there to make it happen. He’s clearly significantly better at guarding wings than traditional scoring guards, but his physical tools give him a chance to stay in the play even if he’s bypassed. 

How Declan Griffiths fits with Vanderbilt basketball

Griffiths is what Vanderbilt doesn’t have in 2026-27 and needs. 

He’s the dynamic shooter that has enough gravity to open up the floor and has enough shotmaking to swing the momentum of games. He’ll likely be the best 3-point shooter on the roster in 2027-28, and if he’s not then there’s either an adjustment period with him or an emerging shooter. 

Vanderbilt could turn to Griffiths to play in 2027-28 as a result, but he’ll have to shoot in the ballpark of 40% from beyond the arc and be engaged defensively. Otherwise, he’ll have a hard time being a valuable piece early on. 

Griffiths is a long-term program player for Vanderbilt, though.