Letting go of Grayson Allen was a major mistake for the Utah Jazz

When the Utah Jazz took Grayson Allen 21st overall in 2018, a lot of fans were excited about what the Duke prospect could do. He was a super effective defender in college and could hit a shot from anywhere on the court. There was a lot of upside with a player like that, and he was a player that the Jazz needed.

The Jazz, however, packaged him with Kyle Korver, Jae Crowder, Darius Bazley, and a future first-round pick to send to the Memphis Grizzlies for Mike Conley. Now, Conley was the right guy at the right time, but considering he was already over 30 and with a history of significant injuries, the Jazz got hosed. Crowder, Bazley, and a first should've been enough.

You didn't have to include Allen in that deal. Now, while Allen is a controversial figure at times, his defense has always been well respected. He's someone that a lot of teams want and for good reason. He's a dynamo on the defensive end, and while he hasn't been given too many opportunities, he can score when called upon.

Yet, in the 2023-2024 season, that all changed. Still, a good defender, helping the Phoenix Sun maintain 13th in the NBA in points given up, Allen had his best season offensively. Across the season, Allen had a true shooting percentage of his career, rockin' a 67.9 rating, which is good enough for second in the league overall, just behind Daniel Gafford, and tops among all players who aren't considered an NBA "big".

The next closest guard or small forward next to Allen is Shai Gilgreous-Alexander, who had a 63.6% rating. Allen, on the season, shot just a hair under 50% from the field (49.9%) and over 46% from three (46.1%). Now higher shooting numbers can occur when you take fewer shots, or more shots closer to the rim where there's a higher rate of success; it's why centers and power forwards usually lead the category. Yet, Allen neither shot less nor took easy shots.

Making his campaign one to remember.

Considering the Jazz needed a three-point shooting guard who could play defense, it makes it all the more bothersome that the Jazz included in the Conley trade in the first place.