2018 NBA Draft: Utah Jazz select Grayson Allen with the #21 pick

The Utah Jazz have stayed put at the #21 spot and selected Grayson Allen from Duke University.

Staff Reactions:

My reaction:

This is one of the those picks that I’ll need to be talked into HEAVILY. He fits the Utah Jazz current core in his age (22) and he can possibly learn from Joe Ingles and become the heel-in-training. Grayson Allen took a step back at Duke in his senior season and the Jazz hope they can help him find his Junior season magic.

From our scouting report:

Allen’s most attractive attribute is his NBA-readiness. He played four years at Duke and has consistently been a solid player, with a four-year average of 14.1 points, 3.0 assists and 3.2 rebounds on .430/.380/.834 shooting splits.

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.