Utah Jazz: Grayson Allen scuffle with Trae Young largely overblown

Utah Jazz rookie Grayson Allen and Atlanta Hawks rookie Trae Young got in a minor scuffle on Thursday night that was drastically overblown by the media.

Without a doubt, Utah Jazz draft selection Grayson Allen was likely the most polarizing prospect in this year’s draft. Due to some questionable plays he made and some tantrums he threw while in college, many have viewed him as a dirty player with a poor attitude. In fact, several have gone as far as to call him the most hated player in college basketball.

It should come as no surprise then that a significant contingent of Utah Jazz fans were less than pleased when their team selected him on draft night. Allen’s reputation precedes him and to many it was a bad look to have that type of player on the Jazz roster.

Others weren’t so concerned with this. After all, Utah already has some hard-nosed players such as Joe Ingles and Jae Crowder that are known for getting under opponents’ skin and wreaking havoc. To that degree, Allen would simply come in and fit the mold.

Nevertheless, there’s no denying that every move that Grayson makes, especially any that could be construed as dirty, will be highly scrutinized. Such was precisely the case in the final game of Utah Summer League between the Jazz and Atlanta Hawks when Allen and Hawks rookie Trae Young got into it with one another. Check out the clip in the tweet below–

Allen got right into the body of Trae Young, who obviously took exception to it, throwing a forearm into the Jazzman’s back after the two got tangled up. Grayson then retaliated by throwing a shoulder to his opponent’s midsection. Both were assessed a technical foul which, in my opinion, was well-deserved on both sides.

Quite honestly, this shouldn’t have been big news. This was little more than a brief dust-up in an inconsequential Summer League game. However, since Grayson Allen was involved, it all of a sudden became a big story. The scuffle was all over social media and was covered by pretty much every major sports news outlet. You’d have thought that punches had been thrown or someone had been maliciously tackled.

But, no, it just so happens that Allen has a reputation as a dirty player and that’s something the media isn’t going to let him escape from. If this same interaction had been between two little-known players, it wouldn’t have gotten a second of coverage. Even if it’d been between two first-round picks not named Grayson Allen, it still likely would have flown under the radar, that’s how insignificant it truly was.

Instead, a moment of competitiveness and mutual frustration became completely overblown. The calls of anger for Allen’s style of play were rekindled, while Jazz fans who have already embraced their newest addition began looking for ways to defend their feisty rookie.

The fact of the matter is that this kind of coverage and media reaction are things that fans are going to have to get used to. Last year, the Jazz received a surprising amount of exposure due to the unforeseen greatness of Donovan Mitchell. That may continue yet again this year, but that won’t be the only reason the Jazz are placed on the national scene. Any time Grayson Allen does anything even bordering on questionable, expect it to be a big story.

It’s really quite annoying, to be honest, but it’s the inescapable truth.

I’ll be frank, I was one of those Jazz fans who wasn’t thrilled with the Grayson Allen pick. I love his competitive spirit and hard-nosed play, but when that goes too far and crosses a line, I’m no longer a fan. Even when guys who play for my own team go from gritty to dirty, that’s something I can’t stand behind no matter what.

What I mean to say is, I’d like to see Allen held accountable and don’t want him to soil Utah’s reputation with inappropriate plays. However, I also don’t believe that what occurred between he and Trae Young is an example of such an overstep. Both players got tangled up and overreacted, but that was that. The fact that the interaction has blown up like it has is borderline ridiculous.

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Fans should bear that kind of sensationalized coverage in mind before passing judgement too hastily on the kind of player or person that Allen truly is.

Yet, unfortunately, this is where his reputation has landed him even though he’s now in the NBA. Still, although Grayson Allen will likely be under a microscope for every misstep he makes, let’s hope that the positive qualities he brings to the game will ultimately outweigh the prevailing negative perceptions about his style of play.