Four College Basketball Players with the Biggest Shoes to Fill in 2015-2016

Grayson Allen (Guard), Duke

Apr 6, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen (3) celebrates with guard

(2) after scoring a basket while being fouled against the Wisconsin Badgers in the second half in the 2015 NCAA Men

Oh boy, Grayson Allen. I can already tell he’s going to be a model Duke player for at least two years. You either hate him or you love him. I mean, half of America already hates him because he was the reason Wisconsin lost the championship. The other half loves him because he was the reason Duke won the championship (with all due respect to Tyus Jones, who they obviously would not have won without).

Praised for his shooting stroke and athleticism coming in, Allen couldn’t quite crack the rotation with all the talent that Duke had. Then, Rasheed Sulaimon was kicked off the team, and Allen got some minutes. Not a lot, but enough to give him a taste of college basketball, averaging about 6 points per game on 37% from three-point range from that point forward.

Now, with Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, Tyus Jones, and Quinn Cook all gone, Allen figures to get plenty of minutes, and plenty of shots. Matt Jones is the only returning starter, but he isn’t much more than a spot up shooter and defender. He’s not a guy that’s going to lead the offense. Allen is, and Coach K will probably ask him to do so.

As previously mentioned, he has a great shooting stroke, and he’s extremely athletic. He’s going to need to work on his passing and off the dribble game if he wants the ball in his hands frequently. He doesn’t have to be the primary ball handler with Derryck Thornton coming in, but he’s going to need the ball in his hands to score, or else he just turns into a very good spot up shooter. There’s nothing wrong with that, but expectations are a bit higher for him this season, and Duke is going to need him to be more than a very good spot up shooter.

He’s not going to do much on the defensive end, but that’s never been something to stop Coach K from playing someone tons of minutes. He and freshman Derryck Thornton should make for one of the most electric backcourts in college basketball this season, and it’s going to be fun to watch.

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