Every time he joins a new team, Grayson Allen is forced to answer questions about his reputation. Since the NCAA, the new Suns fullback has been considered a “bad guy” and as he turns 28 this Sunday, he would like it to stop.
“The main thing comes from Duke” recalls the former Bucks player. “I always say that I did a lot of soul-searching when I was at Duke, and that 99 percent of my mistakes were due to immaturity and being a kid in an adult sport, with a adult role and that I was not ready to deal with the situation. »
Of course, Allen no longer does a leg kick like in the NCAA, but two years ago, he stood out again for a bad move on Alex Caruso, and last year, he got heated with DeMar DeRozan.
“I feel like fans are slowly changing their minds and opinions”
“In the NBA, I did well,” believes Allen. “I know there was an incident last year. You can believe me or not, but it was accidental. Once people look at me, and I’ve played on four different teams now, every place I’ve been, I feel like fans slowly change their minds and opinions (about me ). So I leave it to people’s opinions. I don’t go out into the field to try to change minds or opinions, but that’s what seems to happen when I go to new places. »
Mystery guest of the exchange between the Bucks, the Blazers and the Suns, Allen brings toughness to the outside positions, and Frank Vogel is delighted to have such a profile in his group. It is thanks to this attitude that he intends to regain playing time.
“When the coach talks about combativeness, it’s about deflecting balls, getting extra possessions for your team (and) doing all the little things,” Allen said. “When you want to be on the field, I have the feeling that you have to do that and that it helps the team win. This kind of player is really important for teams that want to win, and I think I can do it. Whether it’s scoring a little, shooting, helping on offense… I feel like I can help the team in a big way.”
