Grayson Allen is going back to Duke. The shooting guard announced Tuesday he will bypass the NBA draft and return to college basketball for his senior season.
Grayson Allen is returning to Duke for his senior season
Haven’t had enough Grayson Allen yet? Don’t worry, he’ll be back at Duke next season.
Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Allen was projected as a possible first-round pick after a breakout sophomore season, but chose to come back to lead a Duke team that entered the year as the preseason favorites. Things quickly unraveled for both the player and the team. Allen struggled to adjust to his new role as point guard and Duke never met its lofty expectations before falling to South Carolina in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Allen’s scoring average fell from 21.6 to 14.5 points per game from his sophomore to junior seasons, while his shooting percentage dipped from 46.6 to 39.5 percent. He’ll try to revive his stock as a senior next to Duke’s latest star-studded freshmen class, led by big man Wendell Carter Jr. and guard Gary Trent Jr.
Allen’s junior year was marred by the third tripping incident of his career. On Dec. 21, he tripped Elon’s Steven Santa Ana and lost his composure on the bench. The incident received national publicity and Allen was given an indefinite suspension by coach Mike Krzyzewski that ultimately lasted only one game.
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