Duke Basketball: Grayson Allen has hot hand in Utah’s preseason opener

Duke basketball fans were already well aware that Grayson Allen can get hot in a moment’s notice, and now fans of the Utah Jazz are also taking notice.

Had the game been closer, former Duke basketball great Grayson Allen may have had an opportunity to do much more. As it was, though, his performance still provided plenty to excite to his new fans in Utah.

Allen got hot, and it happened in a hurry as soon as he came off the bench during the Utah Jazz’s 130-72 home win over the Perth Wildcats to open its preseason play on Saturday night. The 21st pick of the 2018 NBA Draft knocked down his first five shots, four of which came from downtown.

Allen ended the night with a game-high 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.

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“[I was] a lot more comfortable after the first three went down,” the 6-foot-5, 205-pound shooting guard said after the game, according to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. “I didn’t really have any expectations tonight except just playing, getting that first preseason game out of the way and getting some of the nerves out, and I think I did that. Thankfully, some shots fell.”

And according to his new coach, Quin Snyder — another former guard for the Duke basketball program — Allen’s shots that did fall were a result of his taking the right shots.

“For our whole team, that’s been a point of emphasis. We wanna find good shots, and we want to look for opportunities to take those shots. I think his shots were good shots,” Snyder said. “Guys were finding each other and they didn’t hesitate.”

Allen also contributed three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. And he did all that while only playing 22 minutes as playing time was spread among a whopping 17 players who suited up for the Jazz.

Up next for Allen and the Jazz, though, will be a contest against a far more talented opponent. But when they do face the Toronto Raptors at home on Tuesday night, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Allen again shows his ability to frequently find the bottom of the net.

And if he keeps it up, he might one day find himself in a starting role.