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Duke freshman AJ Griffin, who is widely expected to start, has apparently suffered a knee injury in practice.
Details are still a bit sketchy but it looks like there’s no serious damage and he is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks. That would mean a slight chance, at least, that he could be back for the Kentucky game on November 9th and should be back for Gonzaga and Ohio State.
Griffin said he drew up dreaming of playing for Duke and we’re sure he’s thrilled to be a Blue Devil. Now though he’s about to find a less-celebrated but still critical part of being an athlete at Duke: the medical care is just superb.
We have no idea exactly what happened or what his treatment will be but we can tell you this without fear of contradiction: he’s going to get the best care possible. And by that we don’t just mean brilliant physicians, we mean (if needed or applicable) cutting edge therapies and technologies.
Remember when Elton Brand had a foot injury? He was back surprisingly quick. Kyrie Irving damaged his toe in a way that was somewhat novel and required a highly sophisticated path to ensure he could continue to play. It was quite serious.
He, too, made it back in time to close the season.
Griffin’s injury is apparently nowhere near that serious but he too will get the best possible care and therapy so we’re sure he’ll be back soon and possibly sooner than expected.
Young recruits considering Duke in any sport should bear this in mind because very few places in the world have equivalent medical care.