Milwaukee Bucks: Grayson Allen flashes potential against Indiana Pacers

Everyone who roots for the Milwaukee Bucks was waiting for the game where Grayson Allen would finally find a shooting groove.

Allen shot a brutal 7-of-26 (26.9 percent) from behind the arc throughout Milwaukee’s first three games, having struggled to see anything go down with consistency. The most puzzling part was that he was getting a fair amount of wide-open looks that would typically be like shooting practice for him, but he failed to convert time and time again. Still, he did not let that early slump deter him from letting it fly confidently, and with a mindset like that, the shooting woes were bound to end at some point. Well, that is precisely what happened in last night’s win over the Indiana Pacers.

Two-guard Grayson Allen finally showed signs of life from behind the arc in the Milwaukee Bucks’ win over the Indiana Pacers

With the Bucks missing many key players, including two starters in Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez, they needed Allen to have a big game against Indiana. Thankfully, he did just that by having his best game yet since he set foot in Milwaukee by tallying 19 points. Most of that scoring load came from long range, as four of his five makes on the night were 3-pointers. Allen finally snapped out of his spell by shooting 4-of-9 (44.4 percent) from deep, finally looking like the player that fans envisioned when he first got traded to the team. Understanding his role as a catch-and-shoot threat, Allen showed little to no hesitancy in getting those shots up, which only helped open up the floor much more as the Bucks dominated the paint.

This is exactly the performance that Allen needed to have after a sluggish three-game stretch to begin the season. Now that he has seen several of his 3-pointers go down, he should have that momentum to build off of and more confidence on top of it. It is already clear that Allen will be tasked with heaving more 3-pointers this season than he has ever before over his career, which is exactly what he is doing so far. While he will not hit the floor and score 19 points nightly, efficient shooting nights like these could go a long way for the Bucks and Allen’s role as the starting guard. The Bucks clearly believe in Allen as they handed him a nice extension before the season, and he proved them right last night.

One game is just one game, but there is no denying how good Allen looked as he helped lead the short-handed Bucks to a win last night. Allen is playing like a natural alongside Milwaukee’s stars in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton while looking seamless in Mike Budenholzer’s let it fly minded offense. As the season goes on, he should only get more acquainted with the players, coaches, and environment alike, which is a promising sign.

Time will tell if this game can help Allen establish a groove for good from the outside offensively, but this game does provide some hopeful optimism.