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Grayson Allen Rumors: Duke Star 'Very Much in Consideration' for Jazz at No. 21

Mike Chiari

Duke guard Grayson Allen is reportedly "very much in consideration" for the Utah Jazz with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, according to Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune.   

Allen was one of six players who worked out for the Jazz on Monday, along with San Diego State power forward Malik Pope, Louisville power forward Ray Spalding, Creighton shooting guard Khyri Thomas, UCLA point guard Aaron Holiday and Villanova point guard Jalen Brunson.

Jazz vice president of player personnel Walt Perrin told Jones after the workout that Allen is "definitely an NBA athlete."

That analysis doesn't come as a big surprise, considering Allen turned in a fantastic performance at the NBA combine last month.

His shuttle time of 3.04 seconds was among the top 10 of any player who attended, while his vertical leap of 40.5 inches was tied for sixth.

Allen's resume is arguably more impressive than any other player's in the draft, as he was a four-year contributor and three-year starter for the Blue Devils.

The 6'5" combo guard won a national championship at Duke in 2015, and he was named a second-team All-American in 2016 when he averaged 21.6 points per game.

As the Blue Devils' veteran leader last season, Allen put up 15.5 points, 4.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest.

Despite his strong combine, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman did not rank Allen among the top 30 prospects in the 2018 draft, and he projected in his latest mock draft that Allen will go to the Denver Nuggets in the second round with the No. 43 overall pick.

With Dante Exum set to hit restricted free agency and both Ricky Rubio and Alec Burks having one year remaining on their contracts, selecting Allen at No. 21 would be a logical move on Utah's part, as the Jazz could potentially groom him to play alongside rising star Donovan Mitchell in the years to come.

   

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