Duke Basketball: What Grayson Allen Must Do to Earn a Larger Role in 2014-15

When Grayson Allen committed to Duke more than 18 months ago, he was the first piece of what would become the No. 1 recruiting class for 2014.

Now, he seems more like the afterthought of that stellar group of prospects.

Despite being rated as the 25th-best player in his class, Allen isn't getting playing time like most recruits of his stature. After logging 18 minutes in Duke's season-opening destruction of Presbyterian, the 6'4" shooting guard has seen the court for only a combined 20 minutes in the Blue Devils' other games. He did not play in the last game, Saturday's 70-59 win over Stanford in the championship of the 2K Classic in New York City.

No other freshman ranked by 247Sports in the top 40 of the 2014 class is seeing the court as little as Allen. Not including ineligible players (or those who opted not to play college ball), Allen's 9.5 minutes played per game is below every active prospect above him on the ranking list and many below him.

Player, School	Position	Rank (247Sports)	Minutes per game
James Blackmon, Indiana	SG	20th	32.2
Devin Booker, Kentucky	SG	22nd	17.8
Dwayne Morgan, UNLV	SF	23rd	21.3
Isaac Copeland, Georgetown	SF	24th	14.7
Grayson Allen, Duke	SG	25th	9.5
Kameron Chatmon, Michigan	SF	27th	19.3
Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State	SF	29th	15.7
Terry Larrier, VCU	SF	34th	17.8
Montaque Gill-Caesar, Missouri	SG	36th	30.8

So what can Allen do to change this? And is that even possible this season with so many standout players ahead of him at his position?

It's not that Allen isn't talented enough, or else he wouldn't have been rated so high. Nor is it that he's failed to live up to expectations, as such a ruling couldn't be made this early.

Instead, it's more a matter of timing and the fact he plays a position—shooting guard—where Duke has more than enough bodies to get the job done without him.

With fellow freshman Tyus Jones looking great early at the point, senior Quinn Cook has slid to the 2 to tap into his shooting and scoring ability. The wing spot is occupied by another freshman, Justise Winslow, with junior Rasheed Sulaimon and sophomore Matt Jones serving as the primary backups.

Tyus Jones is averaging 26.4 minutes per game while Winslow logs 28 minutes a night. Cook is at 32.2, Matt Jones has averaged 17, and Sulaimon gets 16.2.

That doesn't leave much of an opportunity for Allen to get into the game. When he does, though, he'll need to maximize the opportunity by finding a way to stand out without playing out of control. That means providing highlights, not lowlights.

Allen's collegiate debut provided a great venue for him to show his skill set. He scored 18 points in his 18 minutes in the 113-44 win, scoring via the three-pointer as well as by driving to the basket both in transition and out of half-court sets. He showed the ability to go left despite being right-handed and drew contact whenever possible, as he took seven free throws.

Allen also showed off defensive acumen with three steals, starting a fast break once and doing it all himself on another. His ball-handling was solid, with three assists and only one turnover.

His second game, though, showed a little too much eagerness to contribute. He had nine points in 13 minutes but also fouled out.

Duke's nonconference schedule will feature other chances for Allen to get decent time on the court, starting with games Wednesday against Furman and Sunday against Army. When coach Mike Krzyzewski calls to him on the bench, Allen will need to tap into what he did in that first game and try to replicate it since he's now seen that his opportunities may be few and far between.

Perform well often enough, and as the season progresses, the chance to get into the rotation in more meaningful games could present itself.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.