After being labelled as a dirty player for much of his college career, 2018 Draft prospect Grayson Allen has somehow managed to turn this negative aspect into a competitive edge — or at least he think he has.

The 22-year-old former Duke Blue Devil has seen his fair share of on-court controversies after intentionally tripping opponents on several occasions. To be fair, Allen did man up to these accusations by saying that his unsportsmanlike actions were brought about by his naturally competitive nature.

Speaking to reporters at the NBA Draft Combine, Allen discussed the prospect of his unsavory reputation negatively impacting his draft stock.

“You have to address it, for sure,” said the 6-foot-five combo guard, as per Andrew Seligman of boston.com. “It’s something that comes from my competitiveness. Competitiveness that I’ve had as a player, competitiveness that was pointed in the wrong direction and went over the line. It’s obviously something that I needed to work on and address.”

If NBA teams don't buy the competitiveness angle then perhaps they can consider his honesty as a sign of humility and maturity.

When not tripping opposing players, Allen has exhibited undeniable talent on the basketball court. The pinnacle of his four-year college career is the NCAA Championship in the 2015. During his tenure in Duke, the Jacksonville, Florida native averaged 14.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, three assists, and one steal per contest.

According to experts Allen is projected to be taken somewhere late in the first round or early in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft.