LOUISVILLE, Ky.—After struggling through Duke’s nonconference slate with turf toe and being suspended a game for a tripping incident against Elon, Grayson Allen looked to step up for the Blue Devils in ACC play as the point guard they badly needed.
Last week’s action showed that the junior is capable of running the show for his team but also has plenty of progress still to make.
The Blue Devils followed up consecutive 16-turnover performances against Boston College and Florida State with a season-high 18 giveaways in a 78-69 loss to Louisville Saturday. Although Allen looked for his shot more Saturday after taking just six shots from the field Tuesday against the Seminoles, scoring 23 points on just 11 field-goal attempts, the end result was the same for Duke.
Even when the All-American tried to set up his teammates for easy looks in the paint, Louisville’s length would either lead to deflections or prevent the Blue Devil big men from catching the ball cleanly and going up strong.
“I turned the ball over too many times,” Allen said. “I need to be an efficient player, particularly at the point guard position, be efficient and command the team. I can do better at that. I’m learning and getting better at it. I’m comfortable at that position now.”
With the Duke freshmen around him still adjusting their games to the physicality of conference play, Allen has been up and down in his new role. The guard nearly set a career high with seven assists in a win against Georgia Tech in his first game back from suspension before emphatically topping that three days later with a career-high 11 against Boston College, including nine in the first half.
But teams that apply pressure on the perimeter have prevented the Jacksonville, Fla., native from setting up his teammates for good looks like he normally does after attacking the paint.
“Well, what he does is, he keeps going at you trying to draw the foul, so if you can get him off balance and block the passing lane, [you can force turnovers],” Louisville head coach Rick Pitino said. “We’re very long.”
Although Allen adjusted by finishing more at the rim himself and recording a season-high 12 free throw attempts, the Cardinals followed their defensive gameplan by shutting down Allen’s teammates in the second half. At one point, the 6-foot-4 guard scored six straight points on drives to the rim midway through the second half to keep his team within striking distance.
But Louisville stayed true to its proven strategy, and it ultimately paid off once again.
Despite scoring his game-high 23 points against the Cardinals, Allen racked up six turnovers to just three assists. The Blue Devils have shown a tendency to revert to isolation play when they struggle with ball movement, and Saturday was no different, as Duke finished with just eight assists on 22 made field goals.
After serving as the Blue Devils’ primary scorer a season ago in a breakout campaign, Allen has been forced to make a major change to his game this year with more scoring options around him.
In particular, the guard has had to tweak his game to accommodate sophomore Luke Kennard’s emergence as Duke’s most lethal offensive weapon and leading scorer.
It is easy to forget that Allen has only played four contests as the Blue Devils’ go-to ball handler. How he continues evolving in that role and balances when to look for his own shot against aggressive defenses and when to facilitate could determine whether Duke gets its season back on track.
Other than a few highlight-reel dunks against UNLV, Allen has had trouble reaching the lofty National Player of the Year projections many anticipated.
But one thing that hasn’t changed for Allen has been the way he has been treated outside of the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Whether it was the expletive-laced chants at Florida State or the “Sweep the leg” chants at Louisville, Allen and interim head coach Jeff Capel dispelled any notion that the road environments contributed to the guard’s performances.
“I don’t think it bothers him. You’re on the road, that’s supposed to happen,” Capel said. “Unless something has changed in college basketball, if you’re a good player—and Grayson is a really good player—when you go on the road, the opposing team is supposed to say something.”
But Pitino—who stressed that the guard’s past tripping incidents were simply a mistake—had a different opinion when asked about the treatment of Allen away from home.
“Everybody always says, ‘He only sat one game,’” Pitino said. “You can bury a young man. Believe me, that kid is paying the price in different ways. You hear the crowds everywhere he goes.”
Almost everyone has a hot take on Allen, and the guard finds himself in the news following every contest, but the guard’s play, rather than his past antics, will have to take center stage moving forward as Duke looks to rebound from back-to-back losses.
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