The very polarizing Grayson Allen is yet another villain in a long line of Duke Blue Devils superstars that dates back to Christian Laettner. Some even feel that Allen may have surpassed Laettner as the biggest Duke villain of all time, but that’s largely a product of our social media driven culture and the short term attention spans that accompany it. Allen is one of the most discussed topics in sports, as the term Grayson Allen is very often top ten trending nationally on Twitter whenever he plays.
Whether you love him or hate him, you’re likely to have an opinion on him, and he’s extremely valuable to Duke. They would barely be a top 15 team without him. Duke are currently ranked #8 in the polls having begun the season in the top overall slot. We’ve seen in recent weeks what the Blue Devils are, and what they are not when Allen is missing.
Editor’s note: This Grayson Allen feature was written by Jack Kriesel, follow him on Twitter @JackStatsBlog
Things aren’t so peachy right now for Grayson Allen.
It all started when he tripped an opponent in Duke’s win against Elon (probably one of the worst games that Allen has played during his storied collegiate career). Shortly after the incident, which was the third time that Grayson tripped or kicked an opponent this year, Coach K announced an indefinite suspension for Allen.
Mike Krzyzewski then walked that back, with the so-called “indefinite” suspension lasting just one game. Now Coach K is under the same level of scrutiny as Allen. Making the situation more complicated, Krzyzewski will now miss approximately four weeks due to back surgery. Keep in mind that the last time he missed an extended period of time, Duke ended up missing the NCAA tournament that season.
Grayson Allen: The good, the bad, the ugly
Allen brings a lot to this Blue Devils team. He’s a player who can create his own shot and he’s one of the few players on this Duke roster capable of bringing the ball up the court.
In 2015-16, Grayson Allen was one of the best perimeter shooters in the nation. His percentages this year are down, more around the 2014-15 levels, but last season he had an elite year. Most importantly, Allen gives Duke an ability to pass the ball and find open shooters.
That has been evident all season, but even more so as of late.
Without Coach K for the next four weeks, Duke will lean on the upperclassmen for leadership. That includes Allen who is still a leader on this Duke team even after being stripped of the captaincy. They have the chance to be something special, but without Allen contributing, it will be very tough for them to really go far in March.
Duke has youth and talent but what it needs more than anything is someone who has been in tough situations before. They have a ton of former McDonald’s All-Americans, but Allen is the one who’s been in tough situations and prospered.
In the 2015 NCAA Tournament Championship Game, he came in with Duke in a nine point hole. Grayson Allen immediately gave Duke a must needed burst of energy and they quickly erased the deficit. After that game, Allen went from a just another Caucasian Blue Devil blue chip prospect to an overnight superstar.
Most non-Duke fans believe that the Jacksonville, Florida native should still be currently suspended, if not kicked off the Duke team.
That’s an understandable position given that Allen is a recidivist when it comes to tripping/kicking opponents.
That level of punishment would be unwarranted, but I feel a three game suspension, nothing more, would have been apt.
Now both Duke and Grayson Allen will be under tremendous scrutiny for the rest of the season, but in order for the team to reach their goals, they really need him in the lineup.