Jun 21, 2018; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Grayson Allen (Duke) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number twenty-one overall pick to the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
NBABy Matt Clapp on

The 2018 NBA Draft is a loaded class, so naturally fans were most interested in where potential franchise-changing talents like Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic, Marvin Bagley III, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Mohamed Bamba would land.

And where the guy that had the most polarizing career in (recent) college basketball would land.

The Utah Jazz selected Duke shooting guard Grayson Allen with the 21st pick.

Allen had a tremendous four-year career at Duke, averaging 14.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and shooting 38% from behind the arc. He also won a national championship with the 2014-15 Blue Devils.

But his career was also known as much for his dirty antics on the court, particularly when it comes to tripping players.

Obviously if he tries to do these things in the NBA, it’s *not* going to go over well with the players.

But then there’s the whole question about how Allen’s game will translate to the NBA. He’s an excellent shot-maker and is a very good shooter off screens, and we know how valuable the three-point shot is in today’s game. He’s also a better athlete than he gets credit for (because stereotypes).

But his defense is a major, major question mark. In all likelihood, you’re looking at a long, decent NBA career, but probably never as a starter on a good team. As a reserve and three-point shooter, he can offer some nice value for an up-and-coming Jazz team. We’ll have to see if that’s enough value to be worthy of the No. 21 pick, of course, but you’re mainly just looking for quality role players at that point of the draft.

There was understandably plenty of reaction to Utah drafting the Ted Cruz lookalike, and here are some Twitter examples:

https://twitter.com/SheaSerrano/status/1009976324381925376

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

View all posts by Matt Clapp