The Eastern Conference Semifinals was not a memorial series for a Duke basketball standout.
Jayson Tatum will not forget the 2022 Eastern Conference Semifinals, but his Duke basketball teammate, Grayson Allen, would like to forget the series as fast as possible.
Allen, since the opening round of the playoffs, was thrust into a bigger role with the Milwaukee Bucks due to the injury to Kris Middleton. And the former Blue Devil thrived against the Chicago Bulls.
Grayson Allen averaged 20.6 points per game against the Bulls in victories in Games 3, 4, and 5 while shooting 23-for-34 (64.7-percent) from the floor.
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He seemed poised to continue his strong play against the Boston Celtics as Middleton would be sidelined for the length of the series, but the stifling Celtics defense caused headaches for the 2015 National Champion.
Allen scored a total of 35 points in the seven games against the Celtics and was a combined 1-for-13 for four points in Game Six and Game Seven, both series-clinching opportunities for the Bucks.
Boston won the series in seven games after its 109-81 victory on Sunday afternoon.
In his first year with the Bucks, Grayson Allen averaged 11.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 44.8-percent from the floor and 40.9-percent from 3-point range, career-highs for the four-year NBA veteran.
Duke basketball guard might not be ready for bright lights
It seems like Grayson Allen is not destined to be an NBA star, but not many players in the league are.
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Allen fits the role perfectly of a shooter off the bench who will not be a defensive catalyst but can lead the offense on any given night that he gets hot from the floor.
After his trade from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason, Allen signed a two-year, $20 million extension in October with the Bucks and, pending another trade, will be with Milwaukee for at least another season.