Grayson Allen bounces back quickly from his Kentucky nightmare
Any doubts Grayson Allen experienced after a nightmarish performance against Kentucky on Tuesday night have surely vanished a mere five days later.
The Duke star enjoyed a confidence-replenishing weekend in New York City while leading the Blue Devils to victories over a pair of perennial NCAA tournament teams.
Showcasing a lethal jump shot, a quick first step to the basket and an ability to draw fouls or finish in traffic, Allen propelled Duke to an 86-84 win over Georgetown in Sunday's championship game of the 2K Classic. The sophomore guard finished with 32 points on just 12 shots, none bigger than the fist pump-inducing right-wing 3-pointer he hit with 2:49 remaining to give the Blue Devils the eight-point cushion they would need to close out the Hoyas.
Allen's brilliant performance against the Hoyas (1-3) on Sunday eclipsed the career-high scoring output he put up only two nights earlier in the 2K Classic semis against VCU. On that night, he sliced up the Rams' turnover-inducing, high-pressure defense, scoring 30 points in 37 minutes despite coming off the bench for the only time this season.
It's critical for Duke that Allen continues to score in bunches because the Blue Devils are replacing their four leading scorers from last year's national title team. When Allen serves as Duke's go-to threat, it allows big men Amile Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee to focus on defense and rebounding and eases the pressure the Blue Devils' vaunted freshman class to carry the team right away.
Allen has averaged 28 points per game in Duke's four victories this season. By contrast, he had six points on 2-for-11 shooting against a Kentucky defense geared to hold him in check.
One big difference was that Isaiah Briscoe and Kentucky's other guards had the quickness to stay in front of Allen and did a good job overplaying his dominant right hand. Another was that the Wildcats' thicket of long, athletic big men altered his shots at the rim. A third was that Allen attempted only two 3-pointers against the Kentucky ball pressure, opting to consistently attack off the dribble and finish at the rim instead.
Allen consistently hit outside shots at Madison Square Garden this weekend, sinking four threes against VCU and five against Georgetown. That opened up driving lanes for him against two defenses that aren't quite as imposing as Kentucky's.
Allen's offense was the bright spot on Sunday for a Duke team that clearly remains a work in progress early this season.
The Blue Devils were inconsistent defensively on Sunday whether in man or zone, especially when foul trouble sidelined Marshall Plumlee and deprived the team of its best rim protector. Highly touted freshman Brandon Ingram continues to give a spotty effort and fellow freshman Derryck Thornton made a dumb foul and missed two key free throws as Duke was trying to close the game out.
There may come a time this season when Duke isn't so reliant on Allen, but the Blue Devils haven't reached that point yet.
For now, they need Allen to be spectacular to beat quality opponents. Against Georgetown and VCU, he was nothing short of that.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
