Grayson Allen smiled through the small indignities that come with being a rookie in the NBA. All season, he dutifully toted around a little pink backpack. He brought donuts. He slung large bags of popcorn over his shoulder and lugged them onto the plane for his veteran teammates, even though he suspected they wouldn’t eat any.
And along the way, he showed them all he could play.
Allen will look back fondly on his 40-point game in the Jazz’s regular season finale as a high-water mark, and proof that he belongs at the game’s highest level.
“It’s for sure a confidence booster,” he said.