Utah Jazz: Three Grayson Allen stats to get excited about

TARRYTOWN, NY - AUGUST 12: Grayson Allen of the Utah Jazz poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot at MSG Training Center on August 12, 2018 in Tarrytown, New York. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
TARRYTOWN, NY - AUGUST 12: Grayson Allen of the Utah Jazz poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot at MSG Training Center on August 12, 2018 in Tarrytown, New York. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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TARRYTOWN, NY – AUGUST 12: Grayson Allen #24 of the Utah Jazz poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot on August 12, 2018 at the Madison Square Garden Training Facility in Tarrytown, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
TARRYTOWN, NY – AUGUST 12: Grayson Allen #24 of the Utah Jazz poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot on August 12, 2018 at the Madison Square Garden Training Facility in Tarrytown, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Steals

We all know that Allen is reputed as a tenacious guy, and while that often means diving for loose balls and ripping 50-50 balls from the clutches of his opponents, his pure drive and dedication didn’t just lead to intangibles but also showed up in the box score. Often it did so in the form of steals.

Allen was a pesky and relentless defender throughout his time in college, but he particularly broke out during his senior season where he averaged nearly two steals per contest. Coming in at an average of 1.7 takeaways, Grayson finished with the third best mark in the ACC.

His ability to defend and punish opposing players with quick hands and killer instincts will help him fit seamlessly with Utah’s defense that’s already composed of a slew of hard-nosed bulldogs. The Jazz like to bully their opponents into a miserable grind of a game and Allen’s ability to make life hard for the opposition will help him mesh perfectly with his new team.