Grayson Allen is back, and he’s making Duke a championship contender again – Yahoo Sports
DURHAM, N.C. – Grayson Allen was running late.
He had to do an ESPN interview right after Duke’s pulsating, 86-78 victory over North Carolina, so he was the last Blue Devil to make a run past the Cameron Crazies, slap their hands and soak up the moment. When Allen arrived for the 94-foot lovefest, the Crazies surged so enthusiastically that they shoved press row several feet forward to get to Grayson – an entire section moving like Melissa McCarthy using her podium as a weapon while playing Sean Spicer on “Saturday Night Live.”
Security leaped in to shove the furniture back and keep press row from winding up on Coach K Court. That’s how powerfully happy Allen made the Duke faithful Thursday night.
And how happy he made himself.
“It was just pure excitement,” Allen said later, his 25 points and seven 3-pointers going a long way toward securing a victory that gets Duke (19-5, 7-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) back in the ACC title hunt – and back to being the Duke everyone expected to see this season.
“I’m feeling very comfortable and having a lot of fun playing,” Allen said. “I just feel better.”
It’s been a season of constant tumult for the team that began the year No. 1 in the nation. There were a multitude of injuries, even extending to coach Mike Krzyzewski himself missing a month after back surgery.
“We’ve had more interruptions than six teams,” Krzyzewksi said. “No excuses, that’s just the way it is.”
The most difficult of all the interruptions: The Grayson saga that threatened to knock everything off the rails – Duke’s season and Allen’s career.
Allen was suspended for a game after tripping an Elon player in December – his third incident tripping an opponent. The light suspension was widely criticized, which bothered Krzyzewski more than he’s willing to admit. And the entire incident turned Allen into a nationwide villain of sorts.
The subsequent scrutiny and criticism and non-stop booing on the road have been a burden Allen has had to bear without flinching. Which hasn’t been easy. Someone asked him Thursday night if he’s had fun all season.
“Right now is not going to be a tell-all, but no,” Allen said with a small smile. “I am having fun lately.”
A victory like this – in a taut rivalry game that featured 17 lead changes, nine ties and neither team ever leading by more than eight points – helps put all the turmoil further in the rearview mirror.
The Blue Devils now have won four straight, and the basket is looking mighty large to Allen. He’s averaged 21.5 points during that stretch, making 20 of 41 3-pointers (49 percent) and all 14 of his free throws. With defenses recently geared more to stop Duke’s most consistent performer, fellow sharp shooter Luke Kennard, Allen is getting better scoring chances and cashing in on them.
“Grayson had an amazing game,” Krzyzewski said. “The last few ballgames he’s played so darned well.”
Compare this torrid stretch to the previous eight games, when the junior guard shot 22.5 percent from outside the arc and 73 percent from the line. That’s when Allen was struggling with leading a team that was young and hurt, then dealing with becoming an instant pariah.
Those were the days when playing this sport must have seemed more like a burden than a blessing.
“It feels good just to be out there playing the game I love and having so much fun with everything, whether my shot falls or not,” Allen said. “That’s how I grew up playing, just loving to compete.”
He competed with gusto against Carolina, no longer looking like a guy who is trying to keep the emotions that got him into trouble in check. Allen spent 10 minutes on the bench due to foul trouble, and he was as animated as any Cameron Crazy while sitting out. He lived and died every possession through the final 1:02 after fouling out.
His final play before picking up his fifth foul gave Duke enough points to win. Allen triggered a three from out front that ripped the net, stretching the Blue Devils’ lead to 80-75. Carolina never again got possession of the ball with a chance to tie or lead.
The 6-foot-5 Allen sometimes hit shots within the offense and occasionally just freelancing into an opening and letting it fly. That included one three from the wing when guarded by 6-8 Justin Jackson – Jackson took his eyes off Allen for a split second to see the screen that a Duke player was setting, and Grayson made him pay for that mini lapse.
“For us, that’s how coach wants us to play,” Allen said. “He doesn’t want us to run plays like robots.”
Now Allen has stopped playing robotically. He can play fiercely, and freely, and hopefully without straying back over the cheap side. There are some road games to come where the fans likely will test him to the fullest – at Virginia Feb. 15, at Syracuse Feb. 22, and the return date at Carolina March 4 – but the 21-year-old is in a good place right now.
When Grayson Allen has mastered the delicate balance between all-in and under control of negative emotions, he’s one of the best players in the country. And with a freshman class that continues to make strides, Allen’s team is a national championship contender.
The Blue Devils might be behind schedule in their development, but they’re making up for lost time in a hurry. Look out, America. Here comes Duke.
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