Grayson Allen is easy to hate, but Jazz fans will soon enjoy rooting for him

Grayson Allen is one of the most polarizing players ever to take the court in college basketball. Duke’s four-year guard is most known for his pouting and tripping, but past that, Allen has all the tools to play in the NBA. It just might take some time for Jazz fans to appreciate what he can bring, and especially for his value at No. 21 in the draft.

Allen can shoot, shoot and shoot some more. He dragged defenses outside the paint, hovering around the perimeter on his every dribble because he can pull up and launch in an instant. His efficiency wavered at times, and he didn’t shoot as well as he did in his sophomore season (41 percent) from deep in the his next two years, but he finished his career as a 38 percent three-point shooter. That’s really good.

He can play a playmaker’s role too. Allen measured in at 6’4 with shoes at the combine and a 6’7.5 wingspan, solid metrics for someone who can handle the ball. In his senior season, playing beside a pair of lottery picks, Wendell Carter Jr. and Marvin Bagley III, he averaged five assists.

At the NBA Draft combine, Allen wowed with his athleticism, too. He recorded the fifth-quickest lane agility test (10.31 seconds) of any that have participated in the combine since 2000. He also posted a 40.5-inch max vertical leap. He can really fly!

Aside from his dangerous on-court antics, Allen’s a real prospect who can fill into an NBA rotation. He won’t be a star, he might garner boos, and it might take time for you to adjust to cheering for him, but Allen has always been a brilliant player. Some thought he’d be a first-round pick two seasons ago.

Now it’s time to see what he can bring at the next level.

Meet Grayson Allen, a 6’4 shooting guard from Jacksonville, Florida. He’s going to Duke next year, and he already knows you’re going to hate him.

”I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Allen said of the taunting he’s expecting from opposing fans next season on Tuesday at the media session for the McDonald’s All-American Game. “As far as me, I kind of take that as fuel. I had a little of that in high school, but I know it wasn’t as extreme as it’s going to be next year. It’s always been fuel. I’ve never let it get to my head too much.”

Grayson Allen was a hero, a villain, and everything we want from a Duke star
By Ricky O’Donnell, March 26, 2018

What is Allen’s ultimate legacy? Duke fans will remember him as the surprise national championship game hero. They’ll remember him as the player who could have jumped to the NBA but decided to stay all four years instead.

Everyone else will remember him for the tripping incidents. He is Duke’s modern day Christian Laettner, a player that brought the country together by rooting against him.

Allen’s Duke career was full of contrast. He is the most recognizable college star of his era, partly for his allegedly dirty play, partly because he kept coming back year after year.

Grayson Allen was a star. Grayson Allen was a villain. One thing is for sure: he was never boring.

Allen posted a lane agility time of 10.31 seconds. According to ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony, that’s the fifth-best mark in NBA Combine database history, dating back to 2000. He also had the second-best shuttle run time (3.4 seconds) in the combine and tied for the fourth-highest in both max vertical leap (40.5 inches) and standing vertical (32.5 inches) among those who worked out this year.

Grayson Allen scouting report
By Jason S. Walker, SLC Dunk

In the modern era of one-and-dones, playing four years at a prestigious basketball school like Duke isn’t the greatest sign. He had a stellar sophomore season, where he averaged 21.6/4.6/3.5 on .466/.417/.837 shooting, but hasn’t lived up to that since (his junior year was REALLY bad, which forced him to return for a fourth year).

Despite Allen’s solid combine numbers, most people who watch him don’t see him as an elite athlete, which could limit his potential defensively. His lack of an elite first step to get past good NBA defenders is something that could force him to rely on screens and off-ball movement to get points at the next level.