Basketball fans have disliked Grayson Allen since he was at Duke. Allen was ejected multiple times for blatantly tripping opponents. That didn’t change in the NBA. He’s been removed twice for “dirty hits,” including an infamous one on Alex Caruso.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!However, despite all that, Suns GM James Jones believes in Allen and thinks the team and environment will help Allen evolve.
“We just need a tough mentality.” Jones said, “You have to play on the edges. We will never encourage a player to injure someone. You can compete without being reckless. For us, our environment will dictate how our guys behave. Our actions will matter. Grayson knows that if he’s surrounded by players that push it, he doesn’t have to push that hard, but collectively, as a group, we are going to play with an edge.”
Head Coach Frank Vogel says that Allen is a scrappy player and an irritant but doesn’t believe that’s bad when you are as skilled as Allen.
“Grayson, by nature, is a scrappy player.” Vogel said, “He plays extremely hard and physical. He’s an irritant. You love guys like that on your team and hate playing against them. A lot of those players aren’t as skilled as Grayson Allen is. He brings that scrappy mindset, but he’s an elite 3-point shooter and elite playmaker, can attack the basket, and has a great IQ for making the extra pass. So, You have a rare combination of a really scrappy player that’s highly skilled.
"You have a rare combination of a really scrappy player that's highly skilled" – #Suns coach Frank Vogel on new Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen, who was acquired from the Bucks
— Burn City Suns Talk 🎙️ (@BurnCitySuns) October 2, 2023
