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The highly-publicized career of Duke star Grayson Allen came to a close as the Blue Devils lost a thriller to Kansas in the Elite Eight. Allen was the most recent player to sit on the throne as the Duke villain. His Duke career highlighted by NCAA tournament runs, a national championship and a lot of odd “tripping” incidents made him one of the most polarizing players in college basketball. Allen’s career was already going to be under a microscope as the leader of one of the most storied basketball programs in the country and his tendency to make headlines for what some considered dirty play further pushed him to the center of the college basketball world.
Now that his college career has come to an end we will breakdown Grayson Allen’s NBA draft outlook.
Strengths
Grayson Allen established himself as a dynamic scoring threat during his four years at Duke. He is a terrific shooter who possesses above-average athleticism that allows him to create his shot off the dribble. In the NBA he will find it much harder to work off the dribble and might be susceptible to a learning curve in that area. His three-point shooting ability will make him an enticing draft prospect for established playoff teams looking to add a capable, smart shooter to their rotation. Allen can hold his own in the NBA with his size at 6-5 205 pounds and a wingspan close to 7 feet.
Also, teams will not have to worry about outside pressures wearing on him mentally. By being the face of Duke basketball, he has faced unlimited amounts of scrutiny and criticism. And yes, a lot of this he brought on himself, but he did not let any of it affect his on-court play. If there is one thing, Grayson does not lack, its confidence.
Weaknesses
Most NBA teams when evaluating Allen will take a good long hard look at his maturity level. Allen has embroiled himself in controversy stemming from tripping players, hip-checking players, and kicking other players.
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NBA scouts will thoroughly look at each of these lapses in judgment and Allen will need to prove to them that he has grown as a player and will be leaving this type of dirty play behind. There is a need in the NBA for scrappy players who get under the skin of there opponents so some teams will not hold such a hard line on these issues. Another area of concern in Allen’s game is defense. He has not been a lockdown defender throughout his college career, and in the NBA he will need to improve or be preyed upon by veteran players.
NBA Draft Prediction:
Grayson Allen should be viewed as a late first-round draft pick. He will never be the go-to guy in the NBA, but with his high basketball IQ and shooting ability, he should be able to carve out a solid NBA career.
