Utah Jazz: Grayson Allen selection will be exercise in trusting Dennis Lindsey

Some Utah Jazz fans were skeptical about the team’s decision to draft Duke product Grayson Allen, but they’d be best off trusting Dennis Lindsey.

When Grayson Allen‘s name was called last Thursday as the Utah Jazz‘s selection with the No. 21 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, it was met with several differing reactions among Jazz fans. Some were gleeful, seeing the potential fit and liking what Allen could bring to the team. Others were less ecstatic, seeing an immature kid who had built a reputation as a dirty player and wondering why the Jazz were bringing him into their fold.

Others were somewhere in between those two extremes, perhaps feeling questionable about the Allen selection, but willing to give him a shot. One thing all those fans can probably agree on, though, is that Grayson Allen is without a doubt a polarizing pick.

I’ll be honest, when I heard Allen’s name called, I was less than thrilled. Leading up to the draft, I profiled several Jazz prospects that I would have liked to see the organization select and even put together a wish list of the players I most hoped the Jazz would pursue. Allen was notably absent from any of those lists and that was no accident. He wasn’t one of my top selections.

In fairness, some of my preferred options were snatched up before the Jazz were on the clock, which may have led to them ultimately drafting Allen. Then again, it’s become quite clear that Allen was high on the Jazz’s draft board since his workout with them and perhaps even since the Draft Combine.

So while myself and many others may be feeling somewhat disappointed in the Allen pick, it’s time to put any doubts or concerns behind us and simply move forward.

It’s time to trust Dennis Lindsey.

Recently my J-Notes colleague John Keeffer put together an excellent piece describing how Allen will ultimately win over the hearts of Jazz fans. In his writing, he emphasized how there are plenty of positives that the Duke product brings to the court that very much fit Utah’s style and mantra. If it weren’t for his questionable sportsmanship decisions, Jazz fans may very well be absolutely in love with the pick.

While many people know him only for the tripping incidents and tantrums (which don’t get me wrong, are inexcusable), when you set those aside and look solely at his game, there’s a lot to like. He plays with a toughness and passion that significantly set him apart. He can score in a variety of ways and should be able to help Utah space the floor with a reliable 3-point shot.

And above all, fans need to realize that the Jazz didn’t make this selection ‘just because.’ Dennis Lindsey, Walt Perrin and several other members of Jazz brass spent weeks upon weeks analyzing, reviewing and doing everything in their powers to make sure the team was finding the best available talent. When all was said and done and based on who was available, the Jazz went with Grayson Allen.

As much as we all like to play armchair GMs, it’s important to remember that these guys know what they’re doing and clearly feel that Allen is the right fit from a culture and basketball standpoint. I guarantee they’ve seen more to feel reassured than we have. Furthermore, they’ve cleared the air on his past sportsmanship issues, and have clearly set a standard with him of expectations moving forward and I expect the Jazz will continue to monitor that closely.

Beyond that, all Jazz fans would do well to remember that, while no one is perfect when it comes to selecting players in the draft, Utah has done pretty dang well since Dennis Lindsey has been calling the shots. Let’s not forget, that just a year ago, this same organization is the one that targeted and landed Donovan Mitchell, who has subsequently turned into a star.

If they were able to spot his potential out of all the numerous prospects, I like their chances of accurately seeing things they like and that will translate over in the game of Grayson Allen.

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Rudy Gobert is another perfect example of where Dennis Lindsey and Co. have hit a home run with savvy drafting. Gobert was very much overlooked and many wondered if he could stick in the NBA at all. He’s certainly quieted all those doubts. It’s hard to believe the Jazz got him for little more than cash considerations.

Draft aside, Lindsey has worked wonders with this team overall, helping them bounce back from being a 25-win squad, to bringing in Quin Snyder, to getting them to the playoffs in back-to-back years, one of which came immediately after losing their All-Star Gordon Hayward. Based on Utah’s recent ascension alone, I think Jazz fans would be wise to put their trust in him rather than their own assumptions.

Lindsey detractors might shake their heads and point to cases such as Trey Burke or Trey Lyles as critical snafus that he’s made. However, Burke has since returned to the NBA scene as a much-improved player with the New York Knicks and Lyles put in good minutes for the Denver Nuggets last year.

The draft is always a bit of a crap-shoot where there’s absolutely no guarantees, but I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that Lindsey was accurate in seeing the talent of both players.

What he perhaps failed to see, and I argue would be the most difficult to know ahead of time, was their attitudes. It wasn’t long into either player’s tenure that it became clear that they didn’t want to be in Salt Lake City. Poor attitudes, rather than inaccurate drafting of an unskilled player, are what made those picks not quite pan out.

Not to mention, Lindsey used his wizardry to turn dead weight Trey Lyles into Donovan Mitchell, so I think he deserves a pass for that as well.

Rodney Hood and Dante Exum are two others that some might question in regards to Lindsey’s draft selections. However, I’d say the jury is still out on Exum as he’s been beset with injury setback after injury setback, and despite a disappointing ending, the Hood selection was actually a home run all things considered.

Although Hood most assuredly didn’t pan out in Cleveland last season, he put up great numbers in his time with the Jazz. Prior to being traded this past season, he was averaging 16.8 points per game while shooting nearly 39 percent from deep. Considering that he was the 23rd overall pick in the 2014 draft, those are impressive numbers.

Hood has his shortcomings, sure. But I guarantee that there are plenty of teams that selected ahead of the Jazz that wish they’d gone for Hood instead. Considering where he was chosen in the draft, he was an excellent piece for the Jazz and still a bona fide NBA rotation player.

And, once again, the important thing to do when looking at what Dennis Lindsey and the Jazz have done and are doing is to not single out one lone event, but rather to look at the big picture. And the fact of the matter is that since Lindsey has taken the reins in Utah, the Jazz have gone nowhere but up.

This team continues to ascend with a variety of savvy moves and wise decisions. And even if Jazz fans have reservations about the selection of Grayson Allen, they’d be wise to continue to trust in the man that’s brought the Jazz back to relevancy.

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I speak for myself as well when I say that there are some big concerns with Allen. Yes, he has some good basketball traits, but there are plenty of questions about whether those will translate or whether they’ll be enough to cancel out some concerns about his personality and attitude.

But rather than question, instead I’m going to trust that the Jazz know what they’re doing and have faith that this pick is going to work out swimmingly. Whether you liked it or not on draft day, it doesn’t change the fact that Allen is a Jazzman now.

So I’m going to welcome him with open arms and hope that he can absolutely thrive in this system, while putting his checkered past behind him.

And, most of all, I’m going to trust in Dennis Lindsey.