Should Duke Sit Grayson Allen in Regular Season Finale?

Grayson Allen has been struggling recently with a lingering ankle injury. Should Coach K consider sitting the junior guard in Duke’s final game against UNC?

Duke Basketball will end the regular season with a huge rivalry matchup on the road at North Carolina. A win could provide the Blue Devils with better seeding for the conference tournament and a double-bye. However, one of Duke’s best players Grayson Allen has struggled recently due to a lingering ankle injury. Should Allen play against UNC?

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The Case for Sitting:

Grayson Allen should sit because he is clearly not healthy. The All-American guard registered only two points and 16 minutes in Duke’s win over Florida State and wasn’t able to play in their loss at Miami. He’s been limited in practice and his slump has been going on for a while now, with Allen only eclipsing double-digits once in the last seven games since the previous UNC matchup. Duke also risks the chance of possibly making his injury worse before the ACC and NCAA tournaments begin.

Mike Krzyzewski has made it known that his priority is not the conference regular season or tournament. For example, he rested Allen against Miami last week despite Duke being in contention for the regular season title and top seed in the conference tournament. The recent play of freshman Frank Jackson also makes this decision a lot easier for Coach K. The freshman guard is coming off a career-high 22 points against FSU and is averaging 13 points in Duke’s last four games. Jackson will be able to gain more experience to make a bigger impact off the bench for the Blue Devils playing in a huge matchup at Chapel Hill.

The Case for Playing:

Duke Basketball should play Grayson Allen because he gives them a much better chance to win. Despite his recent struggles, opponents have to account for his ability. The Blue Devils severely struggled offensively when Allen sat at Miami, and he contributes in many ways other than scoring. The junior guard is a talented play-maker and leads the team in assists. A win would help Duke gain momentum heading into the postseason, while sitting him may cause more discontinuity with the lineup and offense with changing roles and rotations which has been inconsistent all season.

Additionally, playing Grayson Allen will just make it a better rivalry game to watch. Duke and North Carolina have one of the greatest sports rivalries ever, and the game would not be the same without Allen. In the first matchup against UNC this season, Grayson Allen was unstoppable scoring 25 points shooting 60% from the floor. One of the things that has made the Duke-UNC rivalry so great over the years are the great players, and Allen participating will make it a much better game.

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Verdict:

I believe Duke should play Grayson Allen in the final regular season game against UNC. The Blue Devils will need Allen if they want to compete for an ACC title and more importantly the program’s sixth national championship. Duke has a chance to earn a double-bye in the conference tournament at North Carolina, which an extra day off could help the team overall get healthier and rest. Hopefully the game against the Tar Heels will help the junior guard get into a rhythm and he can lead Duke into the postseason.