Grayson Allen earned quite the reputation while playing at Duke.
The guard came to be known as a dirty player during his four years with the Blue Devils for multiple tripping incidents and other shenanigans.
That history followed him to the NBA, and while there have been incidents in the league, the severity of his discretions has tapered down. On Friday night, however the Duke version of Allen appeared to return.
Why was Grayson Allen ejected vs. Bulls?
Allen was whistled for a hard foul on Alex Caruso in the third quarter of the Bucks-Bulls matchup at Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum. He earned a Flagrant 2 call and an automatic ejection.
Grayson Allen draws a flagrant 2 for a HARD foul on Alex Caruso pic.twitter.com/NjCJEzo7zu
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) January 22, 2022
There is no debate about it being a hard foul, especially given Caruso's hard fall to the floor. Caruso suffered a wrist injury as he landed.
"Dude just grabbed me out of the air. Kind of bulls—t," Caruso said postgame.
Was Allen's reputation for unnecessary physical contact a factor as the referees reviewed the play? We'll never know. Could it be a factor in the Bucks being Allen's third team in four years in the NBA? We'll never know.
One thing is for sure: His reputation from college will always be brought up when he gets into an altercation in the league.
Grayson Allen giggling after receiving a flagrant 2 and being ejected seems pretty on brand for him.
— Richard Jefferson (@Rjeff24) January 22, 2022
Bulls coach Billy Donovan also brought up Allen's history in his postgame comments. He said the foul was "really, really bad" and "could have ended" Caruso's career. Donovan is hoping the NBA takes a "hard look" at the play.
Billy Donovan goes off on Grayson Allen: "It could've ended his [Caruso's] career" pic.twitter.com/Mf2TJN0upn
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) January 22, 2022