Despite being one of the more controversial players coming out of college in recent memory, Grayson Allen was given his first chance in the NBA with the Utah Jazz after being selected late in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft. With that selection, the Jazz showed that they are willing to take that risk and jump wholeheartedly into a boat where they’ve got no idea what could actually happen.
They managed to pick out the best rookie from last season despite not winning Rookie of the Year (that’s another discussion entirely) so the fan base should be excited to see what can happen with Allen, at the very least. Plenty of questions still remain about Allen’s style of play and the way he carries himself, but the hope is that Utah can be a place that sets him straight — especially playing alongside Donovan Mitchell.
While there are some question marks surrounding him, a definite plus from adding Allen is the fact that the Jazz have a little more sizzle in their step, so to speak. Not too many people picture Salt Lake City as a fierce opponent, although they have been known by their defense in recent years. Allen’s style of play needs a slight tweak to go from reckless to heartfelt competitor.
The line is blurry on that at times, but in college he crossed it more than once and needs to know a good balance now that he’s in the NBA. At Duke, Allen shot 38% from deep for his career, which means he could translate into a reliable threat from downtown once he finds the right groove. The Jazz offense depended so much on Mitchell’s scoring last season that it was the biggest reason they fell apart in the second round of the playoffs.
As long as Allen can provide the kind of support that the numbers suggest he’s capable of, the Jazz will have found themselves another diamond in the rough, so long as the kinks in his game can be worked out the right way. How the organization chooses to address Allen’s hiccups is critical because it will have a domino effect on the rest of the team one way or another.
The last thing that a team on the rise should want is to have unnecessary setbacks. They’ve got to be sure they keep Allen on the right track before anything gets too out of control.
