Grayson Allen

During his first season in Milwaukee, Allen surprised many, carving out a consistent role on a team with championship aspirations. That said, much of his success came early in the season when the Bucks were battling a couple of injuries to key pieces such as Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez. Allen's production ebbed and flowed throughout the season, ending the campaign as a fringe option in standard fantasy formats. This production was enough to earn him a two-year deal with the Bucks, locking him into a similar role, at least for the foreseeable future. As we have seen in the past, the Bucks are not afraid to rest players in their quest for postseason success, which could again afford Allen some additional playing time. While he may have periods of relevance, it is hard to see him being anything more than an occasional short-term addition or a streaming option for anyone needing a boost in threes.

After a career year across the board, the Grizzlies shipped Allen to Milwaukee for Sam Merrill and two future second-round picks. In his final season with Memphis, the Duke product averaged 10.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.9 steals across 25.2 minutes per game. The third-year guard shot 41.9 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from three and 86.8 percent from the free-throw line. On a per game basis, Allen finished 163rd in fantasy scoring -- by far the best ranking of his career. While he was fantasy relevant last year, it is likely that the move to the Bucks hinders his potential as he will be battling Pat Connaughton, Rodney Hood and Jordan Nwora for backup shooting guard minutes behind Donte DiVincenzo. However, his prolific three-point shooting will be a valuable asset to a Bucks team that struggled from distance throughout their championship run. One major concern with the ex-Blue Devil is his ability to stay healthy as he has missed 20-plus games in each of his three professional seasons. While Allen had a high per-game fantasy finish, he ranked 187th in overall fantasy scoring during the full 2020-21 campaign. At best, the 25-year-old holds a fringe roster spot in a 12-team league. But more likely, Allen is a streaming option that too heavily relies on the occasional hot shooting night.

A prolific three-point shooter during his productive college career at Duke, Allen wasn't able to translate much of that long-distance success to the professional level during his rookie 2018-19 campaign in Utah. However, a move to the Grizzlies after just one year led to an appreciable bump in opportunities for Allen, who became a solid component of the backcourt rotation and considerably improved his efficiency from all over the court. Allen boosted his shooting percentage to 46.6 from a rookie-season figure of 37.6, and he improved his success rate from distance to an impressive 40.4 percent after draining just 32.3 percent of his three-point tries during his rookie season. Allen also was more of a presence as a rebounder (2.2 RPG) and facilitator (1.4 APG), and while his usage rate was a modest 17.1 percent, the second-year sharpshooter did put up a solid 12.6 attempts per 36 minutes. Looking ahead to the coming campaign, Allen projects to open the season in a very similar role to that which he wrapped up 2019-20 in, filling a backup two-guard role behind Dillon Brooks and approximating the 18.9 minutes per game he averaged over 38 contests.

The 21st overall pick in the 2018 Draft by the Jazz, Allen got some NBA run last year. He appeared in 38 games, seeing 11.0 minutes per contest and averaging 5.6 points on 4.7 shots. From a role perspective, he was more instrumental as a G League player. Across 12 appearances (all starts) with the Salt Lake City Stars, Allen averaged 16.3 points (46.7 FG%, 41.0 3P%, 73.5 FT%), 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steal across 30.6 minutes. He was dealt to Memphis as part of the Mike Conley trade in early July, and Allen opted to get some early run in with the Grizzlies by participating in 2019 Summer League. He struggled, however, averaging just 9.8 points on 10.2 shots, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 22.6 minutes. Considering the rebuilding status of Memphis, Allen should have plenty of opportunities to make mistakes on the court, but he'll still have to beat out the likes of Dillon Brooks, Josh Jackson, De'Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson for consistent run. As a result, Allen makes for a risky fantasy selection in all formats, including dynasty.

Allen broke out during his sophomore year at Duke, when he made the AP All-American Third Team on the back of 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Though he couldn't reach similar production over his next two seasons, Allen still impressed enough to be taken 21st overall by the Jazz. During summer league, he showed off versatility, averaging 13.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 23.9 minutes. That said, he struggled to create his own shot, and managed to hit just 30.2 percent of his looks overall and 22.7 percent of his threes. Still, he projects as a quality three-point shooter, hitting 41.7 percent of his threes during his sophomore campaign at Duke and holding a career mark of 38 percent. Looking ahead towards his rookie year, Allen could have the opportunity to play rotational minutes on the wing behind starters Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles, though Allen may be a bit undersized at small forward at 6-foot-5, 195 pounds. But, his athleticism and physical, chippy defensive play could help him hold his own at the position if necessary.