Player Grayson Allen
- Thread starter SeanMayTriedToEatMe
- Start date
That is the maybe the least successful tweet of all time.
Anway, Grayson has been as good as last year for four straight games now. I hope people are aware of this development.
Anway, Grayson has been as good as last year for four straight games now. I hope people are aware of this development.
Apparently in the Pitt game he told the other players "we are not losing this fucking game." Baller. Christian. Tripper. Baller.
Allen is making 3s again, and it has changed his offensive approach, allowing Kennard and Tatum more room to be more effective drivers and, in Kennard's case, operate even more freely in midrange.
Season per game shooting averages through the NC State disaster:
2.3-4.7 2pt (50%)
2.0-6.3 3pt (32%)
4.4-5.6 FT (79%)
5 games since then, against what I think was a more difficult defensive schedule on average, since it doesn't include any of the pre-ACC cupcakes (though Wake and Pitt have soft ACC defenses):
1.2-3.2 2pt (38%)
4.4-9.6 3pt (46%)
3.2-3.4 FT (94%)
For most of the season, those stats look like a chucker's stats - someone we would hate on Duke if we didn't know he had it in him to be much better and much different as an offensive player. Now he's struggling from inside the arc but on much less volume. Seems like he has settled into a more Curry-like approach, and he's putting up Curry-like shooting numbers from 3 and from the line.
Duke can win with a Curry in this spot. Tatum should find more room to do the things he does well on offense (getting to the rim and getting fouled). Kennard is seemingly going to be great no matter who is around him. Jackson and Jones should have even less defensive attention on them, if that's possible. Jones is up to 40% 3pt over his last 11 games, after starting 30% over the first 14.
For whatever reason, this isn't translating to better overall offense. The final piece is probably Jefferson, since he is being forced to play a lot of minutes regardless of performance by him or other bigs on the roster.
In the 16 games before Jefferson's injury, Jefferson put up these per game averages:
30 minutes
5.2-8.3 2pt (63%)
3.3-5.4 FT (60%)
10.1 rebounds
1.9 turnovers
2.1 fouls
Since being rushed back from injury for the Miami game, Jefferson has put up these per game averages (last 7 games):
30 minutes
2.4-5.3 2pt (46%)
1.3-2.3 FT (53%)
6.9 rebounds
0.9 turnovers
3.0 fouls
These are crude stats, but it definitely looks like Jefferson has been much less efficient despite much less usage and has been much weaker on the boards since coming back from injury. Some of that is due to a tougher schedule on average, but this is a drastic dropoff in 2pt shooting and rebounding despite carrying a smaller load for the team. The drop in turnovers is nice, but this is the kind of decrease you would expect when getting the ball so much less. He's fouling more in defense, and I have no stats to back it up, but he has looked a lot worse defensively since the injury as well.
So this post should have gone in the Jefferson thread, because now that Allen has found his happy place as a player and Jones is hitting wide open 3s again, the last piece of the offensive puzzle is Jefferson. This is assuming the coaches have no plans to reduce his minutes, rest him for a few games in an attempt to heal him, or play 1st round draft picks in his place no matter how much they're improving.
Season per game shooting averages through the NC State disaster:
2.3-4.7 2pt (50%)
2.0-6.3 3pt (32%)
4.4-5.6 FT (79%)
5 games since then, against what I think was a more difficult defensive schedule on average, since it doesn't include any of the pre-ACC cupcakes (though Wake and Pitt have soft ACC defenses):
1.2-3.2 2pt (38%)
4.4-9.6 3pt (46%)
3.2-3.4 FT (94%)
For most of the season, those stats look like a chucker's stats - someone we would hate on Duke if we didn't know he had it in him to be much better and much different as an offensive player. Now he's struggling from inside the arc but on much less volume. Seems like he has settled into a more Curry-like approach, and he's putting up Curry-like shooting numbers from 3 and from the line.
Duke can win with a Curry in this spot. Tatum should find more room to do the things he does well on offense (getting to the rim and getting fouled). Kennard is seemingly going to be great no matter who is around him. Jackson and Jones should have even less defensive attention on them, if that's possible. Jones is up to 40% 3pt over his last 11 games, after starting 30% over the first 14.
For whatever reason, this isn't translating to better overall offense. The final piece is probably Jefferson, since he is being forced to play a lot of minutes regardless of performance by him or other bigs on the roster.
In the 16 games before Jefferson's injury, Jefferson put up these per game averages:
30 minutes
5.2-8.3 2pt (63%)
3.3-5.4 FT (60%)
10.1 rebounds
1.9 turnovers
2.1 fouls
Since being rushed back from injury for the Miami game, Jefferson has put up these per game averages (last 7 games):
30 minutes
2.4-5.3 2pt (46%)
1.3-2.3 FT (53%)
6.9 rebounds
0.9 turnovers
3.0 fouls
These are crude stats, but it definitely looks like Jefferson has been much less efficient despite much less usage and has been much weaker on the boards since coming back from injury. Some of that is due to a tougher schedule on average, but this is a drastic dropoff in 2pt shooting and rebounding despite carrying a smaller load for the team. The drop in turnovers is nice, but this is the kind of decrease you would expect when getting the ball so much less. He's fouling more in defense, and I have no stats to back it up, but he has looked a lot worse defensively since the injury as well.
So this post should have gone in the Jefferson thread, because now that Allen has found his happy place as a player and Jones is hitting wide open 3s again, the last piece of the offensive puzzle is Jefferson. This is assuming the coaches have no plans to reduce his minutes, rest him for a few games in an attempt to heal him, or play 1st round draft picks in his place no matter how much they're improving.
K spent a lot of time squatting down talking to Allen during the game. I don't recall ever seeing that happen. When was the last time K ever did more than grab a player by the jersey, yell in his face, and send him to the bench?
In a very weird game - Duke dominating the glass but unable to convert on a fast break, no matter how many opportunities they were given, banked in 3s, Giles playing in the 2nd half, every critical back court player with 4 fouls - that stood out as a weird moment.
In a very weird game - Duke dominating the glass but unable to convert on a fast break, no matter how many opportunities they were given, banked in 3s, Giles playing in the 2nd half, every critical back court player with 4 fouls - that stood out as a weird moment.
Grayson has been hurt almost all season. He's been a shattered head case. Stripped of being Captain and benched. Ridiculed at every venue without mercy. And, his game has been up and down like a yo-yo all year long. K probably needs to tweak his psyche every game.
Need some sort of miracle for a return to good health. Sucks to see him struggle so badly with the bad wheel, but I respect the hell out of him for trying to contribute.
Yes. Tatum drew what should have been the 3rd on Hicks on Duke's first possession of the 2nd half. And was it Hicks who got the absurd no call on the blatant blocking foul on Frank?
Also, did they ever replay that blocking foul no call? I hate to be one of those people, but damn, that would have been shown over and over had Duke gotten away with it.
J. Jackson's take down of Allen should have been his 3rd and led directly to Jefferson's 3rd. Hicks traveled at least 5 times, had the ball out of bounds twice and committed basket interference that wasn't called (or even shown on replay).
Who would draft him right now? Needs to come back and prove that he can be the player from his sophomore season.
