Grayson Allen throws pass off opponent's back for self-assist (Video)
Lost amid all the controversy surrounding Grayson Allen — the tripping incidents, the arguably-too-short suspension, and the general hatred of him — is the simple fact that Allen is a darn good basketball player.
In his second game back from suspension Saturday against Boston College, Allen had nine assists in the first half alone. In the second-half, he had a clever way of throwing another one … to himself:
Here’s @DukeMBB’s Grayson Allen throwing the ball of the back of a Boston College player … and scoring. pic.twitter.com/7EDlkturrp
— FOX Sports South (@FOXSportsSouth) January 7, 2017
It’s not the first time a player will do this, nor will it be the last, but it’s nonetheless a clever play from Allen. He recognizes that Boston College is in a 2-3 zone for the baseline inbounds play, and that Golden Eagles forward Nik Popovic is face-guarding Harry Giles. Then he executes to self-pass, which still needs to be a very accurate one. If it had been off by six inches, Allen would have looked like an idiot.
Here’s another angle:
Grayson Allen tosses it off Popovic's back on an inbounds play and finishes the easy layup. Duke leads 75-55 with 10 minutes remaining. pic.twitter.com/eJvMCDR1HW
— Riley Overend (@RileyHeights) January 7, 2017
Allen had 12 points, 11 assists, five rebounds and three steals as Duke won 93-82.