Grayson Allen was a solid choice in the 2017 preseason for ACC player of the year, just as either North Carolina’s Joel Berry II and Notre Dame’s Bonzie Colson II make sense for that minor honor in 2018. (The ACC doesn’t even list the preseason picks in its media guide.)
Of course Allen had a trouble-plagued junior year. He didn’t build on his first team All-ACC performance as a sophomore, or live up to his ‘17 preseason billing as the best the conference had to offer.
As it turns out, in failing to follow through on his preseason selection as ACC player of the year, Allen was hardly setting a precedent.