For the Utah Jazz, giving up on Grayson Allen was a big mistake.
A lot of supporters were thrilled about what the Duke prospect may do when the Utah Jazz selected Grayson Allen with the 21st overall pick in 2018. In college, he was a very good defender who could shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor. A player like that had a tonne of potential, and the Jazz desperately needed him.
But the Jazz sent Mike Conley to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Kyle Korver, Jae Crowder, Darius Bazley, and a future first-round pick. Conley was the right player at the right time, but the Jazz lost badly since he was already over 30 and had a history of serious ailments. Bazley, Crowder, and a first ought to have been sufficient.
You didn’t have to include Allen in that deal. Now, while Allen is a controversial figure at times, his defense has always been well respected. He’s someone that a lot of teams want and for good reason. He’s a dynamo on the defensive end, and while he hasn’t been given too many opportunities, he can score when called upon.
Yet, in the 2023-2024 season, that all changed. Still, a good defender, helping the Phoenix Sun maintain 13th in the NBA in points given up, Allen had his best season offensively. Across the season, Allen had a true shooting percentage of his career, rockin’ a 67.9 rating, which is good enough for second in the league overall, just behind Daniel Gafford, and tops among all players who aren’t considered an NBA “big”.
The next closest guard or small forward next to Allen is Shai Gilgreous-Alexander, who had a 63.6% rating. Allen, on the season, shot just a hair under 50% from the field (49.9%) and over 46% from three (46.1%). Now higher shooting numbers can occur when you take fewer shots, or more shots closer to the rim where there’s a higher rate of success; it’s why centers and power forwards usually lead the category. Yet, Allen neither shot less nor took easy shots.
ensuring that his campaign is remembered.
It is even more frustrating that the Jazz engaged in the Conley trade in the first place, given that they needed a three-point shooting guard with defensive prowess.
