It took only three games in the NBA’s Salt Lake City Summer League for Grayson Allen to find his first bit of trouble as a professional.
It happened early in the second half of a game between Allen’s Utah Jazz and fellow first round draft pick Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks.
The two players became entangled when Allen aggressively challenged Young for a pass at the top of the circle. As they separated, Young shoved Allen with his right arm while Allen retaliated by putting his shoulder into his opponent’s chest and pushing back.
Both were assessed technical fouls while Allen also received a personal foul call, then downlpayed the incident afterward.
“Nothing more than a play in a very competitive and physical game,” Allen said.
“That’s not the first time Grayson has gotten tangled up with someone, but it’s not the first time and last time I’m going to get tangled up with someone,” Young added. “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.”
The confrontation capped a forgettable night for the former Duke star, who made just two of his 13 field goal attempts. He did go 5 of 8 from the free throw line to finish with nine points while adding eight assists, six rebounds and three steals.
Former UNC big man Tony Bradley added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Jazz in a 92-87 win against the Hawks on the final day of the Utah tournament. Wake Forest’s John Collins took the night off for Atlanta, which lost all three of its games in Salt Lake City.
In the other Utah game, San Antonio beat Memphis 94-87 with NC State’s Maverick Rowan playing only one minute for the winning Spurs.
Meanwhile in Sacramento, where the NBA’s other early summer tournament was also wrapping up, UNC’s Justin Jackson scored 26 points for the host Kings in an 86-76 loss to the Miami Heat.
Duke’s Harry Giles finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds, but fellow Blue Devils one-and-done big man struggled for the second straight game while producing only one point and three rebounds in 29 minutes. NC State’s Allerik Freeman made the most of his four minutes of action for the Kings, going 2 for 2 from the floor while scoring four points with one rebound and one assist.
Former Tar Heel J.P. Tokoto had four points, nine rebounds and three assists for the Golden State Warriors in their 77-71 win against the Los Angeles Lakers in the other game in Sacramento.
Play in the more prestigious Vegas Summer League, in which all 30 teams are participating, begins on Friday. Games will be televised by NBA TV and ESPN.
Here are the final stats for all state players participating in Sacramento and Salt Lake City:
Justin Jackson, UNC (Kings): 3 G, 17.0 ppg, 18-34 FG, 7-19 3PT, 8-9 FT, 3.7 rpg
Tony Bradley, UNC (Jazz): 3 games, 14.7 ppg, 18-35 FG, 8-17 FT, 12.3 rpg, 2.0 bpg
John Collins, Wake Forest (Hawks): 2 G, 14.0 ppg, 11-21 FG, 1-6 3PT, 5-9 FT, 6.5 rpg, 1.5 apg
Grayson Allen, Duke (Jazz): 2 G, 10.5 ppg, 6-29 FG, 2-8 3PT, 6-10 FT, 7.0 rpg, 7.5 apg, 2.0 spg
Harry Giles, Duke (Kings): 3 G, 9.3 ppg, 13-27 FG, 1-5 3PT, 1.2 FT, 6.0 rpg, 1.7 spg
Marvin Bagley III, Duke (Kings): 3 G, 8.7 ppg, 9-29 FG, 1-8 3PT, 7-11 FT, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 bpg
J.P. Tokoto, UNC (Warriors): 2 G, 3.5 ppg, 3-14 FG, 1-3 3PT, 6.5 rpg, 2.0 apg
Allerik Freeman, NC State (Kings): 2 G, 2.0 ppg, 2-6 FG, 1.0 rpg
Maverick Rowan, NC State (Jazz): 3 G, 1.0 ppg, 1-3 FG, 1-3 FT
