AJ Griffin

A rookie doesn’t tend to get his number called with the game on the line in overtime — unless his name is AJ Griffin, that is. The Atlanta Hawks forward followed his November 19 overtime buzzer beater with another heart-stopper three weeks later, this time against the Chicago Bulls. Trailing by one with only 0.5 seconds on the clock, Jalen Johnson lofted a flawless inbounds alley-oop to Griffin, who caught the ball with his back to the basket and still managed to score an acrobatic turnaround in the paint before the buzzer sounded. The 16th overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft tallied 17 points, two rebounds and two assists in the thrilling 123-122 win on December 11, 2022. Griffin finished his first season with an 8.9 points per game average.

Rookie Year

Rookie Mint