Grayson Allen has struggled to reach the heights he did last season, but his slow start should not concern the Phoenix Suns. The Suns have endured a rapid downturn in results since injuries to Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, including a current five-game losing streak. There have been inconsistent offensive performances across the roster, but for Allen, there are multiple factors which have played into his dip in production. However, there is currently no suggestion that these struggles should persist long-term.
The Suns Should Not Be Worried by Grayson Allen’s Slow Start
Struggles With Injury
Last season, Allen led the league in three-point shooting, converting 46.1% of his attempts. Through 16 games, this figure has significantly dropped to 35%. His overall shooting from the field stood at 49.9% in 2023-24, and has now fallen to 37.6% in 2024-25.
It was a relatively healthy year for Allen last season, as he missed just seven total games in the regular season. However, this fortune did not extend into the playoffs, as he sat out the final two games with an ankle sprain, which proved to be a costly loss for the Suns. The 29-year-old had a less-than-ideal preseason coming into this campaign, missing the final four games with Achilles soreness. This did not affect his availability to open the season, but he has since struggled with hamstring injuries which have disrupted him throughout the beginning of the year. While only missing four games, it has not allowed him to develop a consistent rhythm needed for a shooter of his caliber.
Furthermore, on a more light-hearted note, Allen has recently become a new father, which could also understandably have had a significant effect on his performance.
Grayson Allen talked about the birth of his daughter, Emslie May, who was born on Saturday!
The good news is he's got a head start on that Dad Strength, right?
"I did, yeah, maybe now I got that extra 10% kicking in here soon" pic.twitter.com/xCtQYalAcV
— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) October 29, 2024
Transition to New Role
The Suns’ summer of change may have had an impact on Allen more than most. In his debut season with the franchise, he was a starter, featuring in the opening lineup in all but one of his 75 appearances. This began as a result of Beal’s injury, but Allen remained in the starting lineup after he returned. He benefited greatly from playing alongside Beal, Durant, and Devin Booker, producing a career year in points and efficiency. He averaged 13.5 points per game in 33.5 minutes.
Signing Tyus Jones as the starting point guard has shifted Allen to the bench and as a result seen a decrease in minutes. In 12 games, he has averaged 21.8 minutes and is adjusting to life as the sixth man. Not playing as many minutes alongside the big three has seen a reduction in open looks, perhaps a big contributor to his decline in stats. The absences of Durant and Beal have only made life difficult for not only Allen but others such as Royce O’Neale, who both thrive off the spacing they provide. Of course, the brand new coaching staff must also be taken into account, with the whole team learning new schemes and needing the time to adapt.
However, it is too soon to make conclusions about Allen’s ceiling in this role, as the talent is clearly there for him to improve. Excluding his rookie year, he has shot at least 39% from deep in his five seasons since in the NBA. The expectation should be for his three-point shooting to increase and level out to the career 40% shooter he is.
