A reputation as a dirty player followed Grayson Allen throughout his career at Duke. Allen is hoping he can carve out a new identity with the Utah Jazz.

Allen’s goal after being selected by the Jazz with the 21st overall pick on Thursday night is simple. He aims to win over fans http://www.texansauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jordan-akins-jersey , coaches, and teammates with passion for the game. The newest Jazz rookie thinks he can accomplish this goal at a rapid pace.

”It’s a lot different watching a guy play night in and night out and giving his all than it is to see the same three clips replayed for the last three years,” Allen said.

The Jazz are willing to let his past stay in the past. When Utah brought him in for a workout earlier in June, Allen left behind a positive impression as an intelligent player who matured and learned from his mistakes.

They like his toughness and his approach to the game.

”We don’t want that competitive fire to go anywhere,” Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey said.

The 6-foot-5 guard appears to be a solid fit for what Utah wants on offense and defense.

Allen offers potential as a reliable outside shooter. He played in 142 games and made 97 starts in four seasons with the Blue Devils. During that time, he scored 1,996 career points to rank 12th on Duke’s career scoring list. The 22 year-old rookie became one of just five players in Duke history to tally at least 1,900 points http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-brandon-parker-jersey , 400 rebounds and 400 assists.

With Allen, the Jazz add a player who can play both guard positions and he gives them another shooter on the wing. Bolstering outside shooting is an offseason priority for Utah.

Allen can also defend multiple positions, which makes him a good fit with one of the NBA’s top defensive teams. He credits playing several new teammates every season, including multiple lottery picks, for his versatility. It forced Allen to evolve into a new role each season.

”It was awesome for my game because I had to learn to adjust,” Allen said. ”I had to learn how to find different spots on the court. I had to expand my game.”

His willingness to take on any role is a trait that impressed the Jazz from day one.

”He talked about what he had to sacrifice when he decided to stay,” Lindsey said. ”Look, he’s going to have to sacrifice here as a young player. The fact he had done that three out of four years at Duke http://www.chiefsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-derrick-nnadi-jersey , we were impressed with it.”

Allen’s approach to defense stirred up controversy at times during his career at Duke. He drew accusations of dirty play as a defender.

One notable altercation involved Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell. Allen got hit in the face by Mitchell during a game between Duke and Louisville in January 2017. Mitchell didn’t appear to hold any grudges on Thursday. He crashed an ESPN interview with Allen to give the rookie a warm embrace.

”It’s really cool when you get a warm welcome like that from the guy who was the leading scorer on your team last year right away,” Allen said. ”It kind of calms any nerves that you have joining a new team.”

If Allen sticks with Utah, it will be the first time in three seasons that the Jazz did not trade their original first-round draft selection before the start of the NBA season. Utah traded its original first-round selections in 2016 and 2017.

Two years ago, Utah sent 12th pick Taurean Prince to Atlanta as part of a three-team trade that brought veteran point guard George Hill to the Jazz.

Last season, the Jazz made a pair of draft-day trades. The first one brought Mitchell, the 13th pick, to Utah in exchange for Trey Lyles and 24th pick Tyler Lydon. A second trade brought 28th pick Tony Bradley to the Jazz while sending 30th pick Josh Hart and 42nd pick Thomas Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Utah did trade second-round pick Vincent Edwards to Houston on Thursday. The Jazz selected Edwards, a 6-foot-8 forward from Purdue Josh Allen Jersey Bills , with the 52nd pick. Edwards was the first player in school history to tally 1,500 career points, 700 rebounds and 400 assists with the Boilermakers.

—

Draymond Green saw Klay Thompson limping on his tender left ankle a day before Game 2 of the NBA Finals and quickly texted Nick Young to tell him the Golden State Warriors would need big minutes from the backup.

But Golden State’s most durable player and understated star once again managed to play through the pain and scored 20 points to help the Warriors beat Cleveland 122-103 to take a 2-0 series lead Sunday night.

”He came out there and gutted through it,” Green said. ”Even if you saw him take the first lay-up he took in warmups and ran back to the locker room. It’s like he’s not going to have it. Sure enough he did. I mean, that’s just a microcosm of who he is, one of the toughest guys if not the toughest guy I’ve ever played with. He’ll never get credit for it because he’s not going to physically beat you up. But one of the toughest, if not the toughest guy for sure.”

Green might be the loudest of Golden State’s four superstars and Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are the most accomplished. Thompson often flies a bit under the radar, just delivering lockdown defense and long-range shooting that help the Warriors thrive.

He’s so consistent and always available Lamar Jackson Jersey Elite , having played in a franchise record 100 playoff games without missing a single one, that he sometimes gets overlooked. But after Cleveland’s J.R. Smith awkwardly fell into his left leg in the first half of Game 1, sending Thompson to the locker room following the scary fall, there has been plenty of focus on if he’d be able to play.

He made it back for the rest of Game 1 and scored 24 points in a 124-114 overtime win Thursday before the injury got worse the next day. But he still managed to play in Game 2 and shot 8 for 13, making three 3-pointers to become the sixth player with 300 in a career in the playoffs.

”Being on the training table for, it felt like, three straight days. That’s something I’m not used to,” Thompson said. ”But at this point in the season http://www.chiefsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-breeland-speaks-jersey , any means necessary. And the ankle feels great. I won’t do much tomorrow and I’ll do a little bit Tuesday. But I’m just going to conserve all I’ve got for Wednesday because I don’t want to play with it. It’s something that you use a lot. I didn’t realize how much you use your ankle until you hurt it …”

That drew a quick quip from Curry, who has been plagued by ankle injuries throughout his career.

”You should have asked me,” Curry said.

—

.