Duke determined one-game suspension enough for Grayson Allen

It was unseen.

No one in the public saw the actions and decisions that led to Grayson Allen’s reinstatement.

What was seen, however, was Allen’s impact on Duke. The junior guard returned to the starting lineup Wednesday after serving a one-game suspension for intentionally tripping an Elon player on Dec. 21, his third such incident.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski said Allen would be suspended indefinitely and put him back on the floor as the starting point guard during his last game coaching before having lower-back surgery.

Whatever Duke did, Krzyzewski said, was enough.

“I think it’s appropriate what we’ve done,” he said. “We feel like it was appropriate.”

Allen returned for a 110-57 victory over Georgia Tech Wednesday. It was the first time Duke (13-2, 1-1 ACC) recorded a 100-point game since December 2015, and it became the fifth largest margin of victory in ACC history.

Allen scored 15 points in his return as one of seven Blue Devils to hit double figures. Jayson Tatum led the team with 19 points after a slow start.

Allen said he learned of his reinstatement in the practices leading up to the Georgia Tech game. He was prepared to accept whatever punishment Duke decided.

“I was understanding,” Allen said. “I was just ready to accept whatever came my way, whether it was one game, captain, no captain, three games, five games.”

During a conference call with media members Thursday, assistant coach Jeff Capel, who will take over during Krzyzewski’s leave of absence, said the Blue Devils are a different team with Allen.

One game after their offense fell flat to the Hokies, they scored 100 points in a well-rounded effort.

Allen said he was dialed in and did not focus on anything not related to the game and that he understands he’ll be a target.

“That’s how it’s been for me last year, this year. I just need to keep being smarter and keep getting better at it,” Allen said. “I tried to do a better job of it today. If anything escalated or if someone was trying to do something, just focus on everything I have on the team and what we’re doing and not worry about any extra stuff: referees, the opposing team.”

This story was originally published January 5, 2017 at 7:39 PM.