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Grayson Allen – 6’5″ Guard, Duke University, 22 Years Old
Grayson Allen has been one of the most talked about players since he started playing college basketball, for good and bad reasons. Allen had an incredible four years at Duke and averaged 15 points game his senior year on 42% shooting and 37% shooting from behind the 3-point line. He also averaged 3 rebounds and almost 5 assists per game, good enough to be named All-ACC 3rd Team. Allen has the ability to catch fire at any time and sometimes on offense it was almost as if he couldn’t miss.
However, when it came to his on-court tactics, many did not appreciate Allen. His fiery temper and competitiveness sometimes got the best of him and got a reputation for tripping other players. Many criticized Allen for this and attacked his maturity, others said he just needed to work on keeping his cool.
Strengths
Allen’s strengths are in his shooting stroke and athleticism. If Allen wants to find a role in the NBA, he will need to be able to knock down 3-point shots consistently. His 37% from behind the arc may seem average, but Allen took almost eight shots from deep a game, including many bail-out shots when the offense could find a better one. He is more than capable of knocking down shots and in the right role, he could be a very valuable shooter for an NBA team.
Another strength Allen posses is his athletic ability. He stands a pretty average 6-foot-5, but he put on a show at the NBA combine in May. Allen posted a 40.5-inch vertical, which was tied for sixth best among players at the combine. Even more impressive, he did it jumping off one foot, really showing off his explosiveness. Allen also showed off a 10.31-second lane agility speed, which is one of the five best marks in NBA Combine history.
Weaknesses
Allen’s biggest weakness is his potential in the NBA. To start, Allen is already 22 going on 23 years old and already plateaued a bit in college. He had an incredible sophomore year at Duke but a less than stellar made him return for his junior year and then senior season. After going three years with no real improvements and ongoing maturity problems, teams may not be willing to take a chance on him.
Besides his shooting, Allen does not do much else exceptionally and looks like he would be a very one-dimensional player. In this day and age, teams are looking for young, versatile players, neither which Allen have.
NBA Player Comparison
Allen’s NBA player comparison could go a few different directions, but if he pans out in the NBA, he will end up very similarly to Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon. Gordon and Allen alike can shoot well from deep and have the ability to heat up quickly. They also both have underrated athleticism and explosiveness that allows them to penetrate the basket. If Allen is able to end up anything like Eric Gordon, he will have had a successful NBA career.
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