Grayson Allen had already had one of the most scrutinized collegiate careers ever at Duke University before the Utah Jazz selected him with the 21st overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Allen had emerged as a potential star when he scored 16 points for the Blue Devils in the 2015 NCAA championship game against the Wisconsin Badgers. He followed that up by averaging 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists and earning All-American honors in his sophomore season.
But Allen's draft stock was muddied by a series of on-court incidents where he had intentionally tripped opposing players, and seemed unapologetic for his actions. He was still regarded as a potential lottery pick heading into the 2016 NBA Draft, but he elected to stay at Duke.
After a rough junior season that included yet another bad tripping incident, it no longer appeared that Allen would even be taken by any team in the first round.
However, Allen managed to turn in a fine senior season that was mostly stress-free, and the Jazz gambled on him late in the first in the hopes that he would fit in with the rest of the athletic wings on Utah's roster.
Allen's rookie season provided more challenges. He struggled to find playing time and saw multiple stints in the G League.
Still, Allen had firmly entrenched himself as a rotation player by the end of the season. He scored in double figures in three of Utah's final five regular season games, including a 23-point performance against the Kings and a 40-point night in the regular season finale against the Clippers.
Despite clearly making strides, the Jazz showed no hesitation in sending Allen to the Grizzlies in order to land point guard Mike Conley.
Now that Allen finds himself in a new situation, where does he fit in with this Memphis team?
Joining a young core
With Conley gone, the Grizzlies have effectively done away with every member of their last playoff team, and their rebuild has begun in earnest.
Memphis already landed one of the prizes of the 2019 NBA Draft by selecting Murray State point guard Ja Morant, a do-it-all point guard that can score and distribute. Morant comes right on the heels of 2018 selection Jaren Jackson Jr., who showed immense two-way potential before he was shut down for the season in February.
There is no question that both Morant and Jackson Jr. are the two centerpieces of this rebuild (the Grizzlies are also high on Jonas Valanciunas), but Allen could actually play a much larger role in the rebuild than anticipated.
He still has potential as a combo guard if he can improve off the dribble, and he has retained some of his sneaky athleticism that made him a lottery talent in the first place. Allen also has the length and quickness to be a solid wing defender.
Avery Bradley was tremendous after coming to Memphis, but he is in the final year of his deal. The same can be said for Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver (both of whom were also included in the deal for Conley) and Chandler Parsons.
In other words, the Grizzlies are buying on Allen's upside and the kind of personnel fit he could be for this roster.
The ideal situation
In Utah, Allen was not really in a position to showcase all of his talent. He was almost never on the ball, and was more of a guy counted on to space the floor and allow Rudy Gobert to control the paint, with Donovan Mitchell making plays on the perimeter.
But the Grizzlies' roster is extremely different. Both bigs (Jackson Jr. and Valanciunas) can step out and shoot the three ball, and Morant will act as more of a playmaker than a scorer when he is on the ball.
This should open up options for Allen to see more touches while still working off the ball and creating space to get off jumpers. He really is more of a scorer at heart, and the Grizzlies do not necessarily have the kind of guy that can go get a bucket.
But with Morant at the point and plenty of guys to space the floor, it is not unrealistic to think that Allen could average double figures in scoring this season.
He needs to improve his shooting touch, but he has a pure stroke and can get to the foul line. In his 40-point performance against the Clippers, Allen logged 14 free-throw attempts.
He can be sneaky in leveraging his body and using his frame to create contact.
How much will he play?
The biggest determinant in how the Grizzlies view Allen, of course, will be how many minutes he sees. He averaged close to 11 minutes in 38 games with the Jazz, but that team was a playoff contender.
If the Grizzlies and head coach Taylor Jenkins are intent on exploring every facet of this rebuild, they should see what Allen can do with a higher usage rate.
After all, Allen may as well be the marquee player that the team acquired in exchange for a former face of the franchise.
There is no reason not to give Allen those minutes and see what kind of strides he makes.
