Duke has already lost several key players this spring, with Jayson Tatum, Luke Kennard, and Harry Giles entering the draft with the intent of hiring agents. However, another top prospect, Grayson Allen, announced today that he’ll be returning to the Blue Devils for his senior season (Twitter link).
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Allen, who ranks 45th on DraftExpress’ top-100 list and 61st on ESPN’s big board, struggled during his junior year at Duke as several of his teammates took big steps forward in their development. After averaging 21.6 PPG on .466/.417/.837 shooting in his sophomore year, Allen saw those averages dip to 14.5 PPG and .395/.365/.811 in 2016/17.
Although Allen played well in the NCAA tournament before Duke was bounced, ESPN’s Chad Ford suggested last month that the 21-year-old shooting guard could use another year in college to “really rehabilitate his image on and off the court.”
A strong showing in his senior season could get Allen back into the first-round discussion for 2018 — DraftExpress currently has him coming off the board at No. 26 in its ’18 mock draft.