Utah Jazz: Grayson Allen is talk of the town after Day 2

Two days into Utah Jazz training camp, it already appears that rookie newcomer Grayson Allen is making a positive impression.

As I’m sure Utah Jazz first-year player Grayson Allen is already discovering, being a rookie in the NBA has to be a challenging adjustment. While playing at the NCAA level certainly involves facing some elite talent, it simply can’t compare to that of the professional league. Not only that, but the game changes significantly. A faster pace, more spacing and different strategies are just a few of the many adaptations new players have to face.

Two days into training camp, I’m sure that in a lot of ways Allen’s head is spinning as he tries to get everything figured out. Nevertheless, if all we’ve heard so far out of Jazz practices is to be believed, he’s been a stud so far.

During media day, before training camp even got underway, Donovan Mitchell raved about Allen’s play and singled him out as someone who had put in a lot of work and looked exceptional as a result of it. To some extent, I’m sure Mitchell is praising him to keep the newcomer’s confidence high, but I also believe that he’s being honest and that Grayson truly is performing well.

Such certainly appears to be the case after Day 2 of training camp, as the praises continued for Allen. Both the Salt Lake Tribune and UtahJazz.com provided some nice insight on Wednesday of what Allen’s been able to do thus far and how his teammates are taking note.

Apparently Grayson was pretty nervous in the first day of training camp, but he appears to have bounced back nicely from there. Per the Salt Lake Tribune’s Eric Walden, the Jazz rookie had the following to say–

"“Yeah, I was a lot less nervous today. I was definitely really nervous going into [the first day of training camp]. But honestly, it’s all gone pretty well so far. Everyone’s helping me out getting through all the terminology, the speed of things, and all that. It’s a pretty smooth adjustment right now.”"

That lack of nerves certainly must have paid off based on what his fellow Jazzmen had to say regarding how he has looked so far. Per Aaron Falk of UtahJazz.com, teammate Joe Ingles said the following–

"“He just knows how to play. I don’t know if it’s four years of college or just him. Probably a bit of both. He plays the right way. He plays hard. The passion to compete is at a super high level. Since I’ve been here, he’s shown he can step in and play right away.”"

And included in the aforementioned Salt Lake Tribune piece, Jae Crowder also has had good things to say about the Jazz newcomer during training camp. First he described his play as “aggressive”, then he went on to add the following–

"“He’s having fun. For sure, more calm and focused than I was my first training camp practice, which is good to see out of a rookie. Not overwhelmed at all.”"

To be frank, I don’t know what Grayson Allen’s role will be this year. He certainly has a skill set the Jazz could use, and if he earns a spot in the rotation through solid play, he’ll get minutes. Quin Snyder hasn’t shown any resistance to playing deserving rookies in the past. Just ask Donovan Mitchell, Royce O’Neale and in years past Dante Exum.

However, those same guys I’ve mentioned will also make it difficult for Allen to break into the rotation, not to mention starter Ricky Rubio and the already established Alec Burks and Raul Neto (once healthy). Utah has the blessing and curse of depth with a lot of talented guards in their mix, so Grayson will have to continue to impress in a big way if he hopes to earn minutes.

But regardless of whether he gets a spot this year or not, the praise he’s receiving about his toughness, attention to detail and work ethic are all great signs. At a minimum, they’re great ingredients of a significant recipe for success.

Grayson Allen may very well surprise us and be a key contributor in his first season. But even if he doesn’t quite reach those heights as a rookie, I’m confident based on what we’ve seen and heard thus far that at a minimum, he has the attributes to become an impact player for the Utah Jazz in the not-so-distant future.