The hardwood court was missing, taken apart and temporarily set aside for an upcoming comedy show when Grayson Allen got his first glimpse of his new basketball home. The Utah Jazz rookie stood at the top of the darkened lower bowl at Vivint Smart Home Arena last week, gazing at the retired numbers hanging from the rafters and then scanning all of the empty seats below. “I can’t wait to see it filled up,” he said. “That’s going to be when I really get my first taste of it.” Allen did not imagine that taste would come so soon. With 11,758 fans cheering him on, the first-round draft pick made his Utah Jazz Summer League debut Monday night. “I was surprised a little bit,” Allen said. “That’s just incredible for Utah fans. A lot of the Summer League [games] I’ve watched, they haven’t been that full. The Utah fanbase is incredible.” The rookie finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in his first Utah Jazz Summer League action, but said he would not give himself a passing grade after a 4-of-16 shooting night. “I’ll look at film and probably see some of the things that I actually did good,” he said. “But in my mind right now—going through footwork on defense; I could have made some shots; different reads on the ball; I missed a layup right at the rim, that’s still in my mind—so there’s a lot of stuff.” The game was just the latest in a series of firsts for Allen during a whirlwind 11 days since being selected by the Jazz with the No. 21 pick in last month’s NBA Draft. After walking across the stage and shaking NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s hand at Barclays Center on June 21, the 22-year-old spent a few days back at home in Jacksonville, Florida. He and his parents, William and Sherry, then flew to Salt Lake on Wednesday for the rookie’s introductory press conference. “It’s a very beautiful city,” Allen told reporters. “It’s my type of city. I feel like I’m going to really love living here.” The four-year Duke University standout believes he’s the right type of player for this franchise’s fans, too. “I don’t think it will take long,” he said when asked about winning over Jazz fans. “I think when fans see me night in and night out, and the love I have for the game, the passion I have for the game, and how much I want to represent the Utah Jazz, the team I play for, in a great way, and how much love I have for the team—I think it will happen right away. “It’s a lot different watching a guy play night in and night out and give his all than it is seeing the same clips replayed for the last three years. So I think it will come quickly. Obviously, it’s something that has to be earned. Utah has great fans, they have very passionate fans. So it’s something that has to be earned. But I think when I go out there and play with that kind of competitive fire and passion and emotion that they’ll respect it.” A day after his first press conference at the Zions Bank Basketball Campus, Allen got a chance to see firsthand how quickly Jazz fans had taken to him. A few hundred people lined up at Vivint Smart Home Arena to meet the new Jazz rookie. One man brought a drawing of Allen he had stayed up all night to finish. Another’s hands shook long after her favorite player had signed a jersey for her. And another wept when she thought she’d missed a chance to meet the newest Jazzman. As her son signed autographs, Sherry Allen walked through the team store in the arena, looking at the rack of jerseys with Allen’s name and No. 24, and marveling at the support. “We see that they just love him,” Sherry Allen said. “As a mom, that’s just a comforting feeling. These people love him and he’s being welcomed into Salt Lake City just like he would be welcomed into our hometown. That’s just beautiful.” The firsts continued for Allen on Monday night. The rookie’s evening started around 5pm at Vivint Smart Home Arena, when he signed his first NBA contract and officially became a member of the Utah Jazz. “It was definitely an exciting day,” he said. “It’s official now. It feels very real. Signing a contract is huge. It was awesome. I’m sitting there and I’ve seen pictures of guys signing their contracts my whole life. Now it’s like, ‘Dang, it’s me sitting there.’ It’s cool.” A couple of hour later, Allen stepped onto the court to a raucous applause from the 11,000-plus fans who had come to see him make his Summer League debut. Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey said Allen “fits the program almost seamlessly” with his competitive nature, playmaking, athleticism and 3-point shooting. And the rookie showed flashes of all of that in his first minutes of NBA action. “I thought he was aggressive,” Utah Jazz Summer League head coach Mike Wells said. “I liked the way he got into the paint and put pressure on the rim. He saw the floor, eyes out, and played the way we want him to play.” Allen said he still has to get into game shape and adjust to the size and speed of the NBA game. Overall, though, the rookie said he felt comfortable on his new home court. “The nerves were definitely there. The nerves, the anxiousness, the excitement,” Allen added.“But it felt good to get my first game out there, and it feels good to be playing in a Jazz uniform for sure.”<doc-sep>Utah Summer League is upon us and it’s an exciting time to look at Utah’s future. If you think this is just a time to watch only who the Jazz drafted and that’s it, you’re sorely mistaken. The Utah Jazz have found amazing talent in the summer league like Royce O’Neale, Joe Ingles, and others. It’s also the time that you can see a star in the making. Anyone who was in attendance last year knew Donovan Mitchell was a star the minute he started throwing dunks in the pregame layup line. So who should we be watching this year? Let’s review the big and intriguing names on Utah’s roster and talk about who could be some surprises. Jazz Announce Mini-Camp Roster for 2018 Summer League pic.twitter.com/mfX11kGC1y — Utah Jazz PR (@UtahJazzPR) June 29, 2018 Grayson Allen College Stats 14.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.0 apg, 43% FG%, 38% 3P% The former Duke product and College McDonald’s dunk champion has a chance to raise expectations of himself in Summer League. Many Jazz fans—this writer included—sees Grayson Allen as a Matt Harpring for the next Jazz generation. A guy who gets under players’ skin and is a pest. But the early word from practices is he’s a lot more athletic that many give him credit for. Some have been whispering that Utah may have gotten the steal of the draft. I asked several execs, pre-draft, to pick this year's Donovan Mitchell, i.e., guy who'd go mid-1st round but be an unexpected star. One asst GM said Grayson Allen: "Like Mitchell, he’s got a live body. Tough as nails. Can really shoot." Lightning strikes twice in the Wasatch? — Ric Bucher (@RicBucher) June 22, 2018 If that’s the case, now’s the time for Grayson Allen to show his stuff. Tony Bradley G-League Stats 15.4 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 59% FG% Tony Bradley was talked about as a highly coveted big man last year in the end of the 1st round. The Jazz even bragged that they traded for him before the Spurs could get him. The NBA version of Spy vs Spy. Tony Bradley, however, did not play much in the NBA. He spent almost all of his time exclusively in the G-League or in a Utah Jazz practice uniform. We’ll finally get to see what Tony Bradley has been working on and if he’s going to be a big piece for Utah down the road. Does he have a corner three point shot that can be utilized as a weapon? Can he close out on the perimeter? We’ll find out. Georges Niang G-League Stats 22.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 65% FG%, 52% 3P% Niang is one of the players the Utah Jazz floated a qualifying offer toward before free agency. Niang has shown promise in the G-League and could be Utah’s next diamond in the rough find. While he didn’t get many minutes last year that doesn’t take away of what he’d be capable of with further development. Last year for the Salt Lake City Stars, Niang put up big time stats, all career highs. He also matches the Jazz’s prototype for undrafted prospect steals. He’s a wing at 6’8 and has good length. He’s a scorer and can light it up from three point land. He averaged 52.7% from three in the G-League last year. That’s a very good good skill. It’ll be interesting to watch Niang in the Summer League and see if he can light it up like he’s capable of. Naz Mitrou-Long G-League Stats 18.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.6 apg, 50% FG%, 37.7% 3P% Mitrou-Long has had one year in the G-League and while Niang could be ready to break onto the main stage of the NBA, Mitrou-Long could be headed to another year of the G-League. He’s a big guard who’s going to try to be showing Utah that they will want to bring on the added guard depth with Ricky Rubio, Donovan Mitchell, Alec Burks, Dante Exum, Raul Neto, and Grayson Allen ahead of him. Mitrou-Long’s strength is he can stroke it from long range. 37.7% three point shooting is nothing to sneeze at. But can he do it against superior length at the NBA level at the guard position where athleticism is a given? We’ll see. A good summer league could help Mitrou-Long’s NBA chances a lot. Not necessary with the Utah Jazz, but possibly another NBA team that has need of guard depth. Isaac Haas College Stats 14.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 61% FG% If you heard Purdue fans saying that things would have been different in the tournament if Isaac Haas was healthy, they weren’t lying. Isaac Haas was a big part of their success throughout the season. He was a strong body down low and great defensive presence. He had a Defensive Rating of 96.6 and an Offensive Rating of 124.7. He was amazing for the Boilermakers. The question will be where does he fit in the modern NBA. Is there room for a big man like him in the NBA? The Summer League is the first chance for us to find out if he’ll be able to close out on the perimeter and translate his game to the NBA. Diamond Stone G-League Stats 15.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 50% FG%, 25% 3P% Diamond Stone started out his G-League season with the Salt Lake City Stars and ended it with the Windy City Bulls. He’s been bouncing around the G-League now for two years with three different teams. He’s a 6’11 big man who looks to be trying to stretch out his game to the three point line. With the Stars last year he shot 19% from three, but with the Windy City Bulls that percentage climbed to 30%. It’ll be interesting to see if in Summer League he attempts some threes and how fluid the motion looks with some additional work from the Bulls.<doc-sep>Joe Murphy/Getty Images The Utah Summer League began on Monday, with the Memphis Grizzlies facing the Atlanta Hawks and the San Antonio Spurs taking on the Utah Jazz. Below, we'll break down the action and the top storyline from each game. Derrick White Overshadows Debuts of Grayson Allen, Lonnie Walker IV All eyes were on Grayson Allen and Lonnie Walker IV to start the Jazz vs. Spurs on Monday night. By the end of the game, however, Derrick White had stolen the show. The second-year Spur, who made 17 appearances for the team last year, finished the contest with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists. It wasn't enough, however, as the Jazz came away victorious, 92-76. Allen came close to a triple-double with 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, though he shot just 4-of-16 from the field. Walker wasn't any better, finishing 3-of-16 with seven points and three rebounds. Allen even had one heck of a mentor watching the contest: Video Play Button Videos you might like It was White's show, though: The Jazz will be hoping Allen can ultimately develop into a solid backcourt running mate for Donovan Mitchell. The Spurs will be hoping that Walker can eventually do the same next to Dejounte Murray. And both very well could reach those standards. On Monday night, however, White was top dog. Jaren Jackson Jr. Shines in Pro Debut While Trae Young Struggles Jaren Jackson Jr. could hardly miss in his summer league debut, finishing with 29 points while going 8-of-13 from beyond the arc. Yes, Jackson—who projects as a center in his career—hit eight three-pointers in leading the Grizzlies to a 103-88 victory over the Hawks. Twitter was hype after Jackson's startling debut: Meanwhile, the man who lit up college basketball last season with his perimeter game, Trae Young, scored 16 points but shot an abysmal 4-of-20 from the field and 1-of-11 from three. To his credit, however, Young still did some positive things on the court despite his poor showing: Jackson came into the NBA renowned for his defense and his ability to hit perimeter shots, but it's hard to imagine even the most optimistic projections suggesting Jackson would drain eight threes in his first game against aspiring NBA talent. The sky appears to be the limit for Jackson. Young, meanwhile, had trouble at times creating separation as the Grizzlies defenders played him tight for much of the game. It was just one game, but Young will need to add some craftiness to his game to deal with the NBA's elite athletes. His playmaking skills were as advertised, at least. As for the other notable players in the contest, John Collins (nine points, six rebounds) and Omari Spellman (11 points, six rebounds) looked solid for the Hawks, while Jackson overshadowed a strong showing from Memphis' Kobi Simmons (21 points, three assists).<doc-sep>
Joe Murphy/Getty Images Following an off day, the Utah Summer League resumed on Thursday for its final pair of games featuring four of this season's most intriguing rookies to watch. Jaren Jackson Jr. has been a breakout star through two games for the Memphis Grizzlies. The San Antonio Spurs counter with their own young stud in Lonnie Walker IV. The second game is a chance for Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks and Grayson Allen of the Utah Jazz to test their skills against each other. Here's a rundown of the top storylines from Thursday's games. Thursday's Results San Antonio Spurs 94, Memphis Grizzlies 87 Utah Jazz 92, Atlanta Hawks 87 Trae Young's Struggles Should Make Hawks Reconsider Trading Schroder Video Play Button Videos you might like The battle between Young and Allen went the former Duke star's way in Utah's 92-87 win over Atlanta. Neither player did much to silence questions about their shooting skills by combining to shoot 5-of-29 from the field, but Allen had a major impact on the game with eight assists, six rebounds and three steals. Young has been a mess through three games this summer. The No. 5 overall pick is shooting a woeful 12-of-52 (23.1 percent) to go along with 13 assists and 11 turnovers. There was a minor altercation on the court between the two rookies when Young seemed to take exception to Allen's defense: After a review and double-technical fouls were called, both players remained in the game. Allen carries a reputation as a dirty player stemming from multiple incidents at Duke in which he appeared to trip opponents and flop in an effort to draw fouls. Even though nothing became of this particular altercation, Allen could be targeted by opponents when the games count to frustrate him and get to the foul line. He displayed aspects of his game that make him a promising talent but also things that the Jazz coaching staff need to work on to help him reach his full potential. Young, on the other hand, isn't doing much to silence critics of his game in this early stage of his career. "I don't see it with him," one Western Conference executive told B/R's Jonathan Wasserman about Young in March. "He's erratic with the ball, and he's a teaser. Volume shooter. I have concerns on him." Fletcher Mackel of WDSU reported Wednesday that the Hawks have discussed trading Dennis Schroder with the New Orleans Pelicans. Young's struggles could make it difficult for the Hawks to justify trading Schroder. Another problem for the Hawks in trade talks is Schroder could be facing felony aggravated battery charges, per Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Summer league isn't time to push the panic button on what a player is going to be when the regular season begins. The Hawks are a perfect organization for Young to develop because they're rebuilding and play in a low-pressure environment, especially if they keep Schroder to help ease his transition. Lonnie Walker IV, Derrick White Display Impact Potential for Spurs With lingering questions about what their roster will look like when the regular season begins, the Spurs found something in their summer-league backcourt duo during their 94-87 win over the Grizzlies. Walker, who sat out Tuesday's game after going 3-of-16 in the opener against the Utah Jazz, came back with a solid outing. The rookie out of Miami had 14 points and showed good range on his shot with two of his five made field goals coming from beyond the arc. Spurs assistant Will Hardy, who is coaching the summer-league team, told reporters after Walker's rough outing on Monday that the pressure of wanting to perform may have gotten to him. "The first game of summer league for rookies is really tough," Hardy said. "They feel this pressure to perform and show everybody everything they’ve got. I thought he rushed a little bit. He took some tough ones, but he settled in a little later in the game. I expect him to get better and better every game." Rather than try to shoot his way past that performance, Walker was better at picking his spots. He still needs to be more consistent, but that's what this time of the year is for. The Spurs also have an opening on the bench at point guard behind Dejounte Murray. They could attempt to re-sign Tony Parker, but Derrick White continues to show promise this summer.