Grayson Allen’s feet make for a dangerous yet controversial guard

Grayson Allen is a polarizing figure.

He’s the latest in the long line of Duke villains. People either love him or hate him.

But what everyone can agree on is him being a talented college player and having potential as a pro prospect.

Allen’s feet have gotten him into trouble in the past. Ironically, they’re the topic of this article but for a much different reason.

During last Tuesday’s game vs. Michigan State, he put on a dazzling shooting display; off picks, pull-ups, spot-up, 37 points in all.

It’s not a stretch to say Allen is one of the better shooters in college basketball. He’s a shade below 40% from 3 for his career (39.4%) and is well over 80% from the line (83.7%).

When he’s one, he’s on. It’s hard to stop a shooter such as Allen, like Michigan State saw.

From the surface, it’s an impressive performance. But digging deeper, and it’s equally as impressive.

One thing that separates the varying levels of shooters is footwork. Shooters have sported all kinds of release points (Peja, Dirk, Bird, Durant) but all have footwork, balance and a consistent shot motion in common.

Watching Allen shoot the ball is fun. He exhibits the footwork and balance required of high level shooters. This allows him to get his shot off in various ways and lends to having a career in the NBA.

Talking about the footwork of Allen, here’s a few clips walking through what happened versus the Spartans.

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These first two clips are from the same half, merely a few minutes a part. Both clips involve a similar motion and shot location but a different result.

The first clip involves Allen coming off a high screen on the left wing. Driving left with his left hand, he takes a few dribbles (feels the help defender and takes the ball over the reach point) and stops on a dime in the middle of the lane. The stop creates space for Allen to get a shot off with the extra long last step. He is able to explode up off his right foot from a stop and goes straight up-and-down. This ability to stop, create space and remain on balance is critical to getting off a good shot. As a result, it’s a bucket for Allen.

The second clip is literally the same situation, difference being Allen misses the shot. What causes Allen to make the first shot and miss the second is balance. Instead of going straight up off his right foot, Allen instead leans back, fades a bit left/back which causes his shot to come up short. The contest likely causes him to alter his shot in attempt to get off a cleaner shot but such a small difference in the same shot can cause a miscalculation leading to a miss.

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The next two sequences are again, much the same. Allen will be coming off a screen from the right wing, take one dribble with his left hand to gather and pull-up for a jumper. Both are a full display of his ability to stay on balance through his shooting motion.

The first shot is a slightly more difficult one of the two. Going off a screen from a farther distance away requires Allen to get more lift under the shot. Being able to go downhill, stop on a dime and still go straight up-and-down through his shooting motion, while staying on balance, is what you want to see. Shots like these are where shooters can tend to continue their motion of going forward thru the shot which in turn effects the release and end result.

The second shot is the same sequence of actions, just with Allen inside the arc this time. The easier shot of two, he is able to take a gather dribble off the pick and go straight up-and-down, staying on balance for the easy two. It’s a very clean shot he makes look easy. Shooting off picks isn’t a skill every shooter will master. If a player is going to be able to shoot off picks/screens, a certain amount of footwork is required. Screen shooting puts the onus on the shooter to set up his shoot with his footwork before catching the ball and to be ready to shoot it upon the catch. Like cooking a meal, prep work is required leading up to the meal itself.

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Here’s another sequence of shots that look pretty much the same. Stop and pop three-pointers, fading to the left, away from the right-handed shooting Allen. Shots going away from the shooters strong hand can be more difficult.

A shot to end the quarter, Allen gets off an impressive shot from deep. Improvising as the clock winds down, Allen finds an open area of the floor for a pass. Once receiving the pass, he loads up, bending his knees for increased power on his shot, and also is able to stop on a dime, square up to the basket and go straight up. Staying on balance from long-range, going to your left is not an easy task; Allen aces it here.

In live action, this shot looks pretty easy: open transition three with not many defenders in sight. But like the shot above, Allen has to gather himself and go straight up while fading away from his shot hand. You’ll also notice Allen adjust to the slightly wide pass and anticipate his shot once receiving the ball. His footwork prior, a quick pat of 1-2-3 (left-right-left) while squaring up to the target. Again, the shot is a relatively simple one in itself. But shots like these are ones where a misplaced step before the pass or not staying on balance can alter the shot.

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Last but not least is a shot detailing Allen’s sight adjustment that leads to an open look.

Here Duke runs a simple pin down screen for Allen, allowing him to get help in getting space for a shot.

Allen comes off the screen ready to curl the action. But instead of following through the curl, he correctly reads his defender choosing to go over the pick which then causes Allen to adjust his path line with him now bumping directly out to the wing for a shot.

Just like shooting on a target requires aiming on a target, similarly does making a shot. A player with the wrong aim will likely have to overcome that aim to make the shot. A shooter’s feet will tell you the direction of where they’re aiming. Off target aim usually leads to an off target shot.

If you notice, Allen actually catches the ball with his entire body turned left, away from the rim, and his feet along with it. A quick hop step allows Allen to switch his body positioning completely towards the basket as he gets his shot off. The ability to quickly catch, shoot, gather and get on target is critical for the next level where arms get longer and shooting space gets smaller.

Another small detail to note: Allen getting the shot off so quick is also thanks in part to being ready to shoot. Sometimes a shooter will catch a ball off a screen/spot-up and bring the ball down/away from their shooting pocket. Here, Allen is able to quickly catch and go straight up from his shooting pocket. All the split seconds saved by doing this can make a difference in a tipped ball vs. getting a shot off.

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Watching Allen throughout his illustrious yet controversial career has made for a roller coaster of a ride.

Watching him throughout his shot has made for smooth sailing.

Allen possesses a strength many teams covet in today’s pace and space: shooting. Allen creates space and is able to do so in many different ways. Every team needs shooting and Allen being adept in this skill will make for a very long career.

There are other parts to his game that make for him to be a talent at the next level, but the immediate skill he brings as a shooter will get him on the floor first for a team and can lead to his expanding role with that team.