Duke basketball: All-Star tries to publicly shame Grayson Allen

Trae Young is again attempting to attack and smear a Duke basketball great.

Sure, Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard Grayson Allen has a reputation as a dirty player, dating back to his tripping incidents and other various shenanigans as a four-year Duke basketball treasure. But when it comes to the 25-year-old’s ongoing feud with Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young, it’s clear the latter is the primary instigator as of late.

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Last week, Young intentionally shoved Allen to the ground in a preseason matchup.

Then on Saturday, the two emotional competitors — with bad blood that first boiled over via a 2018 scuffle during NBA Summer League action — squared off again in a 122-112 win by Atlanta (2-0) at Memphis (0-2).

Young, who saw his first All-Star nod last season, finished with 36 points in 35 minutes, thanks in large part to 17 attempts from the charity stripe.

Meanwhile, Allen, who is in his second season with the Grizzlies and is a teammate to fellow Duke champs Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow, drew his second start in as many games, totaling 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, and zero fouls in 29 minutes.

There was no visible beef between the pair during the contest. However, on Sunday afternoon, Young took to Twitter for what appears to be an effort to publicly shame Allen. Above a GIF of Allen and Dillon Brooks double-teaming the 22-year-old near halfcourt, Young tweeted the following plea:

https://twitter.com/TheTraeYoung/status/1343269894268334080?s=20

Mixed reactions regarding the Duke basketball legend’s defense

As expected, in the comments section under Trae Young’s tweet, there is a ton of the typical Grayson Allen-bashing that accompanies any instance of his name popping up, no matter the reason.

That said, it seems many fans are now subscribing to the notion that Young is quite the crybaby. Here are some of the top responses:

• “Defense shuffling their feet and you trying to dribble around a double team? I’ve been stepped on more waiting in line at Starbucks.”
• “Aggressive defense, something you need to learn and stop crying about.”
• “Yeah, what I saw was 1/7 from 3, and since you couldn’t hit, you flailed your arms at every bit of contact. Also, you had fun hiding in the corner while you had help from your buddies to guard your man. We remember last game when you shoved our guy, so you were gonna get yours back.”

Finally, Allen himself weighed in:

Unfortunately for drama junkies, the remainder of the announced schedule for the first half of the season doesn’t include another Memphis-Atlanta battle.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball news and views.