Grayson Allen
- Year: Sophomore
- Height: 6-foot-5
- Position: Guard
- This year's stat line: 21.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.3 SPG
- The Blue Zone’s Projected Statline: 10.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.0 APG, 0.5 SPG
Season Breakdown:
Grayson Allen became an absolute offensive weapon for the Blue Devils in his sophomore campaign. He led Duke with 21.6 points per game and helped the Blue Devils finish seventh in adjusted offensive effficiency according to Ken Pomeroy’s college basketball ratings.
Allen dominated on the offensive end from the beginning of the season, with the only exceptions coming from a six-point performance in Duke’s November loss to then-No. 2 Kentucky and a seven-point performance in the Blue Devils’ overtime loss to Utah in December while battling flu-like symptoms. The Jacksonville, Fla., native poured in at least 15 points in all but one other game, shooting 46.6 percent from the floor and displaying an exceptional ability to find his way to the charity stripe, where he averaged 7.0 attempts per game and converted them at an 83.7 percent clip.
Allen’s athletic and aggressive style of play resulted in multiple highlight-reel plays, including an acrobatic, one-footed floater to beat the buzzer and push then-No. 7 Virginia's losing streak at Cameron Indoor Stadium to 17 straight games. These clutch moments—in tandem with his demonstrated consistency and improved ability—have resulted in multiple postseason accolades for Allen. He was named to the AP All-American third team and All-ACC second team. Sporting News and CBS Sports both named Allen a second team All-American, with the National Association of Basketball Coaches naming him a third-team All-American.
The sophomore guard's breakout season did not come without controversy, as he was vilified by the media for tripping opponents on two separate occasions. Allen was called for a flagrant foul Feb. 8 against Louisville for tripping forward Raymond Spalding, and he stuck his leg out again to send Florida State sophomore Xavier Rathan-Mayes tumbling to the ground in the final seconds of Duke's win Feb. 25 against the Seminoles. The ACC issued him a reprimand following the second incident, but did not punish him any further.
Results relative to expectations:
After losing three of their top four scorers to the NBA draft and senior captain Quinn Cook to graduation in the offseason, the Blue Devils were left with just four returning players and a big void to fill. Allen was primed to step into a larger role after his momentous performances against Michigan State and Wisconsin in the Final Four and National Championship games, respectively, but his improvement from his rookie season was unprecedented. His jump from 4.4 points per game in the 2014-2015 season to 21.6 in his sophomore campaign marks the greatest scoring improvement in consecutive seasons for any player in ACC history.
The Jacksonville, Fla., native also led the program in both scoring and assists on the season, becoming just the ninth player in program history to do so. Allen’s transformation from a freshman struggling to build confidence and establish a role on the team to a sophomore nearly leading the conference in scoring—trailing only N.C. State’s Anthony “Cat” Barber—has rendered him a potential lottery pick for the 2016 NBA draft if he elects to leave Duke early.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.