Grayson Allen talks Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers, and his role

Since being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks during the offseason, Grayson Allen has played the best basketball of his four-year career. Whether it has come off the bench or in the starting five, Allen has carved out a role for himself as a crucial piece to the team’s success this season due to his sharpshooting, selflessness, and desire to consistently improve his game.

Before Allen and the Bucks prepare for the 2022 NBA Playoffs, I was able to ask him a handful of questions, thanks to Whistle Sports.

Grayson Allen talks Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers, and his role

With the Bucks this season, Allen is averaging career-highs in several statistical categories such as minutes, points, field goals made, 3-pointers made, rebounds, and blocks per game. One of the big reasons behind this improvement is simply the opportunity in Milwaukee, as the Bucks have given Allen the most playing he has ever seen, but he went more in-depth with the reasoning behind his newfound success.

"Q: What do you think is the biggest reason you have put up the best numbers of your career with the Bucks this season?A: I think it’s a few different things. It’s getting better each year in the NBA. Getting more comfortable playing in general and playing with more experience. I feel I’m a good fit on the Bucks team with the guys we have. I get a lot of open looks playing off of Giannis, Khris, and Jrue."

Looking closer at Allen’s open looks, he has a point. According to NBA.com/stats, the two-guard has attempted the sixth-most “wide-open” 3-pointers in the league this season at 265. Given that he is knocking down 43.8 percent of those looks, the second-most efficient mark in the NBA among players that have shot at least 250 triples, it is safe to say that this outside shooting has certainly helped fuel this career year for him.

After starting at shooting guard for virtually the entire season, Allen was surprisingly sent to the bench in place of Wesley Matthews on March 29, where he has remained in the following games. Given how well Allen has played as a starter this year, many wondered how this big change might impact his game, but the two-guard has embraced the late-season change entirely.

"Q: What has it been like transitioning to a bench role this late into the season and how has that change impacted your game?A: It’s been pretty easy for me transitioning to a bench role. I don’t feel like much has changed from how I play. This year, our lineup has been different at times throughout the season with guys in and out of rotation. It’s not much different. I’m playing with guys that I’ve played with before, I’m just now playing in different rotations. My mindset and mentality all stay the same regardless of the rotations and lineups."

With less than 10 games left in the regular season when the move was made, Allen could have expressed discouragement regarding the move, but that has not been the case whatsoever. He has fully bought into whatever role the Bucks envision for him, highlighting his unselfishness as the sharpshooter just wants to help the team win at any cost.

Lastly, one of the biggest talking points surrounding Allen since he was traded to the Bucks has been how fans of the Wisconsin Badgers have reacted. Of course, Duke took down Wisconsin in the 2015 National Championship, with none other than Grayson Allen helping the Blue Devils win the big game and secure the title. All these years later, everyone wondered if those fans may still hold animosity toward the former Blue Devil, which he discussed.

"Q: What was it like moving to Wisconsin years after the National Championship against them and do you feel like maybe the state has started to warm up to you as the season has progressed?A: It was a little funny at first because I know a lot of Wisconsin fans have bad memories of me from my 2015 National Championship game. I know a lot of people had that image of me in their head when I was first traded here. Fans have warmed up to me pretty quickly and I felt a lot of support from the fans very early on in the season. So, it was a nice quick change."

Although there are undoubtedly still some fans that hold a grudge against Allen for that matchup, it seems that the state has indeed embraced him more and more as the season has gone on. It is hard not to when Allen is hitting his threes and playing at such an incredibly high level, after all.

Hopefully this is just the start of something special for Grayson Allen and the Milwaukee Bucks.