Fansided

Grayson Allen and Duke are finally hitting their stride

By Charlie Maikis

Nov 23, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski talks to Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen (3) as he comes off the floor in the second half against the William & Mary Tribe at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski talks to Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen (3) as he comes off the floor in the second half against the William & Mary Tribe at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports /
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Grayson Allen and Duke are hitting their stride, as evidenced with their win over North Carolina. That could be scary

The fall from glory

Let’s go back to a simpler time. In November 2016, the NCAA basketball season had yet to start. There were no overachievers or under-performers, and every team had a chance at glory. Back then, Duke was the No. 1 team in the country and near-unanimous title favorite. Grayson Allen was going to win the National Player of the Year award. Duke seemingly had too much talent to fail.

Fast forward to mid-January. Grayson Allen had yet another tripping incident and served a suspension for it. Coach Mike Krzyzewski was off the sideline with back surgery. The Blue Devils had romped through non conference play, but Allen’s suspension for their first ACC game against Virginia Tech was partially at fault for the loss they suffered. After losing back-to-back games to Florida State and Louisville, they sat under .500 in conference games at 2-3. Allen, the team’s leader, had struggled. He posted under 15 points per game on an average of under 8 shots in the four he played. Many even questioned whether he or Luke Kennard was the team’s best player.

In their next three games, a comeback win over Miami, a home loss to NC State and a win over Wake Forest, Allen continued to struggle finding his groove while Kennard shined. Duke hit a season low in the AP Poll, coming in at No. 21 on January 30. Put simply, Allen and his team had not only failed to live up to their lofty expectations, but had crashed down at an unfathomable rate.

What has happened in the days since can only be described as a renaissance for both team and individual. Less than two weeks from being an afterthought in Final Four discussions, the Blue Devils are back in the mix as title contenders with Allen leading the charge. Let’s take a look at how it happened.

He’s back with a vengeance

Duke has won their last three games, including two over ranked Notre Dame and rival North Carolina squads, on the back of Grayson Allen. In his first 19 games, he posted an average of 15.3 points per game and reached the 20-point mark just five times. While that’s good by most standards, that is not what was expected from a Naismith Award contender. In the last three, he has scored 21, 21 and 25 points, respectively. Each of those marks led the Blue Devils and he leads the team in shot attempts over that frame. He has shot 51.2 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3, up 2.4 and 17.2 percent respectively from his marks heading into the stretch.

Improved stats and metrics are well and good, but his best game of the season clearly came Thursday night against North Carolina. The only major stat he reached his season-high in was 3-pointers made, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Not even close.

Allen was the best player on the floor from either team. The fiery passion that has gotten him into trouble in the past was channeled productively as he hit shot after shot to deflate the Tar Heels. His step-back 3 to end the first half and put his team up one was what we had come to expect of him.

That kind of NBA range shows how he scored 14 first half points including four 3s. He took more of a backseat in the second half, scoring 11 while Jayson Tatum scored all 19 of his points, but showed up for the big moments. When the Tar Heels tied their biggest lead of the night in the second half, Allen came down and calmly sunk yet another 3 to close gap. A monster dunk to put Duke up 6 with under three and a half minutes remaining got the Cameron Crazies as loud as they’d been all night.

His final shining moment was a dagger. Up 2 with a minute and a half remaining, Allen dribbled on the left wing when he got a screen from Amile Jefferson. His defender went over the screen, Jefferson’s defender held back, and Allen knew it was time to end it. He raised up a shot a leaning jumper, keeping his feet behind the line to extend the lead to five. UNC never got the ball back with the margin at one possession or less.

Maybe it took an intense rivalry game to fully get his feet underneath him. High expectations can weigh heavily on anybody, especially a star who is scrutinized as much as Allen is. With the suspension and drama in the rearview mirror, Duke and their star player appear to be focused on what’s to come with a lot of season left.

Looking ahead

With all that’s happened surrounding Allen and Duke, it can feel like we’ve watched them play a full season or more already. But they still have seven games left on their regular season schedule and the ACC Tournament in Brooklyn before Selection Sunday. The Blue Devils are just a game and a half back of the top of the conference standings despite all their struggles. They could easily close that gap as they finish the regular season with back-to-back games against the two teams currently tied for first, Florida State and North Carolina.

A high NCAA Tournament seed is likely in Duke’s future, but how far they go in the postseason will likely be only as far as Allen takes them. As great as Kennard has been this year, Allen is the leader of the team and has experience, winning a national title as a freshman in 2014-15. He had one of the best games of his young career in the title game, going for 16 points on 5-8 shooting.

Over the last several games, Allen has been looking like his old self in a reshuffled starting lineup and rotation. Since Jayson Tatum was shifted to the power forward spot, Duke is 4-0 and there has been much more space for a slasher like Allen to operate. The star guard finally getting comfortable with his team and situation is a scary thought for opponents.

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If his performance in the last few games and especially against North Carolina is any indication, Grayson Allen has turned a corner in the 2016-17 season. Finally being the leader the Blue Devils have needed, he’s spurred the team into a run of success that could push them toward a championship. Like in 2014-15, this Duke team struggled throughout the month of January. As they’ve come together, they’re looking more and more like that championship iteration did down the stretch. With Allen at the helm, the ceiling for this Duke team has gone way up and is still rising. Don’t look now, but the Grayson Allen of old is back and he is looking to be the leader of a national title winner.