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(Editor’s note: A technical problem resulted in us having to repost the poll at the bottom of this post, which also messed up the poll in last Friday’s post. Allen won that vote with a 53-52 edge over Crowder.)
I’m not sure if you can classify this as an “upset,” but I sure didn’t see it coming! With the tenth spot on our ranking, we have shooting guard Grayson Allen. He nailed down this spot by the narrowest of margins, winning our poll by just one vote.
Allen is entering his sixth season in the league and his third campaign in Milwaukee. He was one of the most polarizing players in college basketball during his four years at Duke. During his freshman season, he came up big for the Blue Devils in their championship run (sorry to bring that up, Badger fans). However, he managed to make some enemies over the next few years. That’s par for the course being a star at Duke, but he had several instances of outbursts and cheap shots that led many to question his maturity. He has a “dirty plays and moments” compilation on YouTube that is five minutes long.
Since joining the league, he has had a few more questionable plays (ask Alex Caruso), but he has carved out a pretty solid career on the stat sheet, averaging double-digit points as a consistent starter in the last three seasons.
Allen does several things well. He averaged 10.4 points per game last year, good for sixth on the squad. He is also sure to account for a few rebounds and assists here and there when he’s on the floor. Not only that, but he’s surprisingly athletic as a slasher. Check out this poster from last year:
Even though Allen is a reliable shooting guard, he is by default the weakest link in the Bucks’ starting rotation. With Giannis, Jrue, Khris, and Brook on the floor, there’s not a lot that makes Allen notable. He doesn’t have the scoring prowess or the defensive ability to be much more than a placeholder. There are worse things to be in life than the fifth option in a championship starting five, but that’s what we’re dealing with.
Do you think Grayson Allen will be a consistent contributor in the postseason?
Poll
Gut Check: How confident are you that Grayson Allen will be in the playoff rotation?
This poll is closed
-
3%
1 - Not in the rotation at all.
(12 votes) -
2%
2 - Might play a few rotation minutes here and there.
(10 votes) -
22%
3 - Will get some minutes, depending on the series.
(78 votes) -
52%
4 - Will be part of the rotation, playing steady minutes.
(180 votes) -
17%
5 - Firmly in the rotation, playing heavy minutes!
(60 votes)
Now that Allen is off the board, nine players remain. Based on the fact that just ONE vote separated Allen from another player, I have a pretty good guess over who’ll be next in our ranking. But hey, I’ve been wrong before.
Poll
The 9th Most Important Player to Milwaukee’s Postseason Success Is...
This poll is closed
-
22%
Malik Beasley
(46 votes) -
31%
MarJon Beauchamp
(66 votes) -
10%
Pat Connaughton
(21 votes) -
30%
Jae Crowder
(64 votes) -
2%
Brook Lopez
(5 votes) -
2%
Bobby Portis
(6 votes)
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