Impact of Coach K Surgery on Grayson Allen's Suspension

With head coach Mike Krzyzewski leaving the program for a surgical procedure, what is Grayson Allen’s status for the upcoming games?

Duke Men’s Basketball is currently without All-American guard Grayson Allen, who has been indefinitely suspended after tripping a player against Elon. Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski is expected to miss at least four weeks to recover from back surgery, but his absence is not expected to have any affect on when Grayson Allen can return.

Recently after announcing the suspension of Grayson Allen, Coach K met with media to discuss the decision to punish the junior guard. Krzyzewski hasn’t been specific on exactly how long the suspension will last, but mentioned that Allen wouldn’t return until he felt the junior shooting guard was ready to rejoin the program. After the embarrassing loss to Virginia Tech, Coach K was reluctant to even discuss the status Grayson Allen after announcing the junior guard was no longer a team captain.

The easy choice would be for Coach K to reinstate Allen later this week before he takes his leave for surgery, but no decision has been released yet. We’re also unsure if Krzyzewski will allow associate head coach Jeff Capel to make the decision on when it’s appropriate for Allen to return after he takes over as the interim coach. Coach K will still be closely monitoring the team and players during his recovery, so updates on Grayson Allen’s behavior and emotions from Capel could allow him to play again while he recovers. Otherwise, the All-American guard will be out until at least early to mid February when Krzyzewski returns.

At the moment, Grayson Allen is expected to miss his second consecutive game tomorrow when Duke hosts Georgia Tech. This will be Coach K’s last game before undergoing back surgery and taking a minimum four-week leave of absence. We’ll keep you updated here on Ball Durham with any news or updates regarding SG Grayson Allen and when he is cleared to return.