Watch: Grayson Allen and Trae Young get into heated on-court altercation
Heading into the 2018 NBA draft, two of the most controversial prospects were Trae Young and Grayson Allen.
Young was polarizing for NBA scouts as they debated whether his game would translate to the next level. Would he be the second coming of Steph Curry or the next Jimmer Fredette?
Allen also had concerns about his on-court play, but there were bigger issues regarding his composure and maturity level. He was suspended while at Duke for tripping numerous players and even had his captaincy stripped by coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Young and Allen never faced each other while in college so the Summer League meeting between the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz marked the first occasion in which they would go head-to-head.
Even during this slow part of the sports calendar, Summer League games don’t get much buzz, so something interesting must have happened to highlight this game.
That’s exactly what went down.
Grayson Allen got into a scuffle with Trae Young in Summer League. pic.twitter.com/VWuoLisnRN
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 6, 2018
Young received a pass off a screen with Allen right in his grill. After a jab step by Young didn’t create additional space, the former Sooner attempted the rip-through move made famous by Kevin Durant in order to draw a foul.
But Allen didn’t just foul Young; the Jazz rookie hooked his arm so that he couldn’t even attempt a shot. With Allen still hooked on Young, the Hawks rookie then shoved Allen in the back, which nearly sent the former Blue Devil to the floor. Allen then responded with what appeared to be a shoulder block to Young’s abdomen.
Before a full-on WWE match broke out, refs and teammates ran in to separate the two, and each player was assessed with a technical foul.
After the game, both Young and Allen basically said the same thing and that they expect more moments like this to happen.
“That’s not the first time Grayson has gotten tangled up with someone,” Young told reporters, “but it’s not the first time and last time I’m going to get tangled up with someone. It’s going to happen. This is the NBA. It’s going to be a physical game. Grayson is a physical player. I’m a physical player.”
“He’s a competitor,” Allen said of Young. “I’m a competitor. We go after it and sometimes moments like that happen when you play with high emotion.”
When they weren’t getting tangled up with each other, both players were busy throwing up bricks in the game. Young shot 3-for-16 from the field while Allen shot 2-for-13.
The controversy in this Summer League game wasn’t just limited to the dust-up between Young and Allen — Allen did what he does best and was whistled for his first, but surely not his last, NBA tripping foul.
🚨🚨🚨GRAYSON ALLEN CALLED FOR A TRIP🚨🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/Xnt7vV5ZtU
— Michael Gallagher (@MikeSGallagher) July 6, 2018
That trip certainly was not as egregious as many of the ones at Duke, but it’s a reminder that NBA officials are on high alert when it comes to Allen.
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