Tag: Grayson Allen

Lethal Shooter: ‘It pisses me off that people think I’m just an Instagram shooter’

Chris Matthews, widely known as “Lethal Shooter,” has become one of basketball’s most prominent NBA content creators and shooting coaches. He has trained NBA and WNBA stars such as Jaylen Brown, Grayson Allen, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Matthews …

Chris Matthews, widely known as “Lethal Shooter,” has become one of basketball’s most prominent NBA content creators and shooting coaches. He has trained NBA and WNBA stars such as Jaylen Brown, Grayson Allen, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Matthews played college basketball at Washington State and St. Bonaventure before playing professionally overseas in France, Iceland, and Canada, as well as a season in the D League (before it became the G League). He has successfully transformed his passion for shooting into a thriving career and global brand.

In an interview with HoopsHype, Matthews opened up about his journey, discussing how legendary coaches like Dick Bennett and Tony Bennett, as well as Craig Hodges, influenced him. He reflected on his transition into becoming a shooting coach and shared how his beliefs in patience and resilience were shaped by his own experiences as a basketball player.

How is JJ Redick’s first season as the Los Angeles Lakers head coach going?

With the NBA season in full swing, here’s a weekly check on JJ Redick’s first season as the Los Angeles Lakers head coach.

After a 127-102 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night, former Duke basketball star [autotag]JJ Redick[/autotag] sports a 10-6 record through his first 16 games as the Los Angeles Lakers head coach.

Redick, the Blue Devils’ all-time leading scorer, retired from the NBA in 2021 after a 15-year career. After a brief stint as a media personality, the Lakers asked him to oversee four-time NBA champion LeBron James and the rest of the roster.

After four losses in five games at the start of the month, Los Angeles rattled off six straight wins from November 8-19 to hurtle back toward the top of the Western Conference. Redick defeated [autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag]’s Philadelphia 76ers and [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag]’s Utah Jazz during that win streak, and his team now sits fourth in the conference standings.

The Lakers, just five seasons removed from their last championship, finished the 2023-24 campaign with a 47-35 record. The Nuggets defeated them in just five games during the best-of-seven opening round, however, marking the third time Los Angeles failed to reach the conference semifinals since their title.

Redick and his team play again on Tuesday night against [autotag]Grayson Allen[/autotag], Tyus Jones, and the Phoenix Suns.

Grayson Allen, two other former Duke basketball stars attended Arizona game

A trio of former Duke basketball stars, including Grayson Allen, attended Friday night’s game against the Arizona Wildcats together.

[autotag]Grayson Allen[/autotag], Tyus Jones, and Mason Plumlee attended Duke’s victory over the Arizona Wildcats together on Friday night.

The Blue Devils shared a photo of the trio, now teammates on the Phoenix Suns in the NBA.

All three of them won a national title during their time in Durham. Plumlee, the oldest of the three, played 14.1 minutes per game as a freshman on the 2010 championship team. He became a more productive scorer with each successive season, peaking with a 2012-13 senior campaign that included 17.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per night.

Jones and Allen played together on the 2014-15 team, the last Duke roster to hang a banner. Jones only spent one season with the team, averaging 11.8 points and 5.6 assists before getting drafted with the 24th overall pick. Allen, on the other hand, stayed for four seasons. His 1,996 career points are the most by any Blue Devil since 2010.

With all three champions together once again, the Phoenix Suns sport a 9-7 record so far this NBA season. Jones leads the team with 6.9 assists per night, and he and Allen both produce at least 10 points per game.

Duke freshman Kon Knueppel attended the 2015 national title game…rooting for Wisconsin?

Duke basketball freshman Kon Knueppel actually attended the Blue Devils’ last national championship in 2015. He just had the wrong jersey on.

When [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag] was just nine years old, he watched his future college team win a national championship. He sat in the stands at Lucas Oil Stadium as legendary Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski won his fifth and final title, a 68-63 victory over Wisconsin.

Small problem, however. Knueppel was rooting for the Badgers.

Now a five-star freshman on the Duke roster, Knueppel grew up in Milwaukee. During a Tuesday episode of The Brotherhood Podcast, he said his earliest memory of the Blue Devils was them ripping his state’s heart out.

“Devastating loss,” Knueppel said with a smile. “But funny how it comes full circle.”

Knueppel mentioned Frank “the Tank” Kaminsky by name, the Badgers’ All-American 7-footer who scored 21 points against the Blue Devils in the finale. However, Tyus Jones and some freshman off the bench named [autotag]Grayson Allen[/autotag] combined for 39 points to push Duke over the line.

Speaking of things coming full circle, Jones and Allen will actually be teammates again this season in the NBA after the former signed with the Phoenix Suns in free agency.

Duke basketball fans hilariously notice Coach K mid-workout in the background of a photo

Duke basketball shared photos of Grayson Allen’s workout on Monday, but fans (and Jayson Tatum) noticed Coach K mid-bench press in the background.

The Duke basketball social media team just wanted to share some photos of former Blue Devil [autotag]Grayson Allen[/autotag] during a workout. Instead, they got a gem of legendary head coach [autotag]Mike Krzyzewski[/autotag].

Allen returned to Durham for a training session on Monday, working with current Duke coach Jon Scheyer on the court. The team posted some glimpses of his workout on X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter), but fans immediately noticed Coach K mid-bench press in the background.

The five-time national champion was moving weight, too. At 77 years old, Krzyzewski had some heavy-looking plates on either side of the bar.

It wasn’t just Duke basketball fans amused by Coach K, either. Duke legend [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag], fresh off his first NBA title and his second Olympic gold medal, shared a laugh about the photo on social media.

“Naw Coach still hitting the bench press he’s an animal,” Tatum said in a post on X.

Duke basketball shares photos of Blue Devils legend Grayson Allen back on campus

The Duke basketball team shared some photos of Grayson Allen on the court with coach Jon Scheyer in Durham on Monday.

Duke basketball legend [autotag]Grayson Allen[/autotag] took a short trip down memory lane on Monday.

The Blue Devils’ social media team shared some photos of the Phoenix Suns star on the court with current Duke head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag], who was an assistant with the program when Allen played in Durham from 2014-18.

No Blue Devil has scored more points since 2010 than Allen’s 1,996. He came off the bench as a freshman for 16 points in the 2015 national championship game against Wisconsin, the last of Duke’s five titles. He averaged 21.6 points per game as a sophomore and a career-high 4.6 assists as a senior in 2017-18.

At the professional level, Allen had a career year with the Suns in 2023-24. He led the NBA in 3-point percentage at 46.1%, his fifth consecutive season above 39% from distance. He averaged a personal-best 13.5 points per game, his fourth straight season in double-digits, and earned a four-year contract thanks to his play.

Allen will have a small Duke reunion in Phoenix next season. Point guard Tyus Jones, one of his 2015 teammates in the national title game, signed with the team this offseason. Duke center Mason Plumlee also signed a contract with the Suns.

Former Duke basketball star Grayson Allen earns second-highest 3-point rating in NBA 2K25

Former Duke basketball star Grayson Allen led the NBA in 3-point percentage last season, and the NBA 2K25 developers rewarded his form.

Former Duke basketball star [autotag]Grayson Allen[/autotag] had a career year with the Phoenix Suns in 2023-24, and the developers of NBA 2K25 surely took notice of his step forward.

NBA 2K released a list of the five players with the highest 3-point shooting ratings on Monday, and Allen finished second with a 93 overall score. Only Golden State Warriors legend Steph Curry (95) earned a higher grade, and Allen outpaced NBA superstars like Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson.

Allen actually led the NBA in 3-point percentage last season, connecting on 46.1% of his triples en route to a career-high 13.5 points per game. The former Blue Devil had always been an effective deep threat, making at least 39% of his 3-point efforts in each of the previous four seasons, but he became truly deadly in his first year with the Suns.

The campaign led to a four-year contract extension, keeping Allen in Phoenix through 2027-28. He’ll get to play with former Duke teammate Tyus Jones, whom he won a national championship with in 2015, and former Blue Devil Mason Plumlee next season.

Allen, a four-year Duke star, has scored more points in a Duke uniform than any Blue Devil since 2010.

Former Duke basketball star Luke Kennard signs one-year deal with Memphis Grizzlies

Luke Kennard, the two-year Duke basketball star, returned to the Memphis Grizzlies with a one-year contract on Wednesday.

According to a Wednesday report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, former Duke basketball star Luke Kennard will return to the Memphis Grizzlies on a one-year deal.

Wojnarowski reported that the contract is worth $11 million.

Kennard, the 12th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, has spent the past seven seasons with three NBA teams. He played for the Detroit Pistons, the team that drafted him, for three years before heading to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers traded him to Memphis midway through the 2022-23 season, where he has remained since.

The former Blue Devil has never made fewer than 39% of his 3-point attempts in a season, and he’s a career 43.9% sharpshooter from distance. He averaged a career-high 15.8 points per game in 2019-20, and he’s averaged double-digit points in three different campaigns.

He started 22 games for the Grizzlies last year, finishing with 11.0 points and 3.5 assists. He and former Duke teammate [autotag]Grayson Allen[/autotag], now a member of the Phoenix Suns, led the NBA in 3-point percentage.

https://x.com/wojespn/status/1818691537183650192

Kennard played for the Blue Devils from 2015-17. He averaged 11.8 points per game as a freshman but made only 32.0% of his 3-pointers and decided to return for his sophomore year. The decision paid off as his distance rate lept to 43.8%, and he scored 19.5 points and snagged 5.1 rebounds per game.

Former Duke basketball star Tyus Jones reunites with Grayson Allen on Phoenix Suns

Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen, two members of the 2015 national title squad, will again be teammates after Jones signed with the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.

Duke basketball fans yearning for some national championship nostalgia got some good news on Saturday.

Tyus Jones, who won a national championship with the Blue Devils back in 2015, signed with the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the deal, a one-year contract worth $3.3 million dollars.

The deal reunites Jones with Grayson Allen, a freshman on that 2014-15 title team.

During the 2015 national championship game against Wisconsin, Jones and Allen finished as the Blue Devils’ two leading scorers. They teamed for 39 of Duke’s 68 points and shot a combined 12/21 (57.1%) from the floor.

The rest of the team made 12 of their 30 shots. Given that the Blue Devils won that game by five points, it’s reasonable to say Jones and Allen single-handedly brought the fifth banner to Cameron Indoor Stadium.

“The chance to play for the Phoenix Suns made the most sense on a lot of levels to me and my family,” Jones said in a statement about the contract. “Coach (Mike Budenholzer) showed me how I can significantly impact a team that has a real opportunity to challenge for an NBA title as their starting point guard.”

Jones, who previously played for the Washington Wizards, averaged 12.0 points and 7.3 assists (both career-highs) last season. Allen, for his part, also set a new personal best with 13.5 points per game after shooting an NBA-best 46.1% from 3-point range.

Mason Plumlee set to join Grayson Allen on the Phoenix Suns with new contract

Mason Plumlee and Grayson Allen never played together at Duke, but after Plumlee signed a deal with the Phoenix Suns, they will in the NBA.

The Phoenix Suns will feature two of the best Blue Devils from the last 15 years during this upcoming NBA season.

On Sunday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that [autotag]Mason Plumlee[/autotag] signed a one-year deal with the Suns. There, he’ll play alongside notable NBA stars like Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, but he’ll also be teammates with [autotag]Grayson Allen[/autotag].

Allen spent his first season with the Suns last year and had a career year while helping guide Phoenix to the playoffs. Duke’s leading scorer since 2010 led the NBA with a 46.1% 3-point percentage and averaged a career-high 13.5 points per game.

Plumlee played for the Blue Devils from 2009-13 while Allen joined the program from 2014-18.

Plumlee played more than 140 games with the Blue Devils and steadily increased his scoring production by a larger margin each season. He started as a 3.7-point scorer as a freshman before finishing his senior year with 17.1 points and 10,0 rebounds.

Allen broke out as a freshman during the 2015 national championship game, the last time Duke cut down the nets, when he scored 16 points against Wisconsin off the bench. He averaged 21.6 points per game as a sophomore, one of the most productive seasons in recent program history, and averaged at least three assists per game in each of his last three seasons.

Plumlee becomes the first big Duke free agent domino after former Blue Devils Wendell Moore Jr. and AJ Griffin both got traded during the draft.