2014-15 Duke basketball player season review: Grayson Allen

The Blue Devils claimed their fifth national title in program history Monday night with a 68-63 win against Wisconsin at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. With the offseason officially underway, the Blue Zone will take a look back on the season for each player on the roster. Our season review begins today with Grayson Allen.

Grayson Allen

• Year: Freshman
• Height: 6-foot-4
• Position: Guard
• This year’s stat line: 4.4 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.3 SPG
• The Blue Zone’s projected stat line: 6.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.5 SPG

Season breakdown: Allen’s season had two distinct eras—before and after the dismissal of junior Rasheed Sulaimon. The freshman guard entered the year knowing he would likely cede time to fellow shooting guards Sulaimon and Matt Jones, and quietly averaged a little less than five minutes on the floor per game through the first 20 games of the season, failing to see the floor in three of Duke's four games against ranked opponents during that stretch—including a Dec. 3 win at Wisconsin. Allen averaged 2.3 points per game during the stretch, mostly thanks to his 18 points in the team’s first contest against Presbyterian Nov. 14 and nine the next day against Fairfield.

Sophomore Semi Ojeleye left the team in December to transfer, sliding Allen up a seat on the Duke bench. But after the loss to then-No. 8 Notre Dame and Sulaimon’s dismissal from the team a little more than a month later after Ojeleye's departure, Allen saw his minutes more than double for the remainder of the regular season and ACC tournament—up to 11.8 per game. The sharp-shooter saw his scoring opportunities opening up and bettered his scoring average to 5.7 for the final 19 games before the NCAA tournament. Allen’s speed allowed him to penetrate effectively, earning shots at the foul line and—unlike some teammates—converting the free chances, knocking down his free throws at an 84.9 percent clip. His quickness also drove him to make a play for balls that many of his teammates would not have been able to reach.

Before Monday, everyone cited Allen’s 9-of-11 outing against Wake Forest March 4 as the height of his season. Allen was singlehandedly defeating the Demon Deacons—he had scored 19 at halftime to the entire opposing squad’s 15—and finished with 27 points without a single turnover. But then came the national championship game, when the freshman guard exploded when his team needed it most. Ten of Allen’s 16 points came in the second half, firing up his team for the remainder of the game—and firing up his fans for the remainder of his Duke career.

Results relative to expectations: Easily the least celebrated of the four incoming freshmen—though he had tough competition next to Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones—Allen simply did not get minutes early in the season that he needed to earn the stats projected for him. His athleticism and speed—not to mention his dunking abilities—were showcased in small spurts, but had to bide his time before jumping into the Blue Devil rotation. A consistent record from beyond the arc in high school set him up to become one of the next great Duke shooters, but his agility and aggressiveness in getting to the basket proved to be an even greater asset for his team this season. It took him a while to burst onto the national scene, but fans everywhere will know who Grayson Allen is heading into his sophomore season.