Duke sophomore guard Grayson Allen was recently named one of the 10 semifinalists for the Naismith trophy which is given to the top college basketball player in the nation. Allen, who is also a candidate for the Jerry West award for the top shooting guard and in the conversation for conference player of the year as well, has excelled for the Blue Devils so far this season but will it be enough to take home the top awards in the ACC or NCAA?
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Case For: The main case for Allen earning a player of the year award is the impact he’s had for Duke this year and the improvement from last season. The sophomore guard is currently averaging 21.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game this season while shooting 48 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from three. Last season, he averaged only 4.4 points, 1.0 rebound, and 0.4 assists per game with a 42.5 field goal percentage and 34.6 three-point percentage.
Allen is currently on pace to break the ACC record for the most improvement in points per game and was projected to be the breakout scorer for the NCAA this season. The 6-5 guard has also been able to dominate games and score in a variety of ways driving to the basket, getting to the foul line, and making threes. He is also in the top five in every statistical category for the Blue Devils this year except blocks, and has the ability to make plays in other ways with assists, steals, rebounds, etc.
Related Story: Allen's 30 Leads Duke Past Wake Forest
Case Against: Unfortunately for Grayson Allen, other players are also having stellar years for their perspective teams. In the ACC, Allen will most likely have to compete with Cat Barber (NCSU), Malcolm Brogdon (UVA), and Brice Johnson (UNC) for the award. Nationally the field is even tougher, with Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield currently the front-runner for NPOY in addition to Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine, Kris Dunn from Providence, LSU star freshman Ben Simmons, Johnson, and Brogdon. Allen’s reputation for tripping players also won’t help him earn any votes either.
The semifinalists for the Naismith Player of the Year award will be cut down to four on March 20th with the winner being selected during the Final Four on April 3rd and the ACC Player of the Year will be announced very soon with conference play coming to an end. Hopefully with a dominant game against UNC and strong postseason performances in the ACC and NCAA tournaments, Grayson Allen can leap into player of the year considerations and he’ll definitely have the upper hand next year if he decides to return to Duke.