Tony Allen

Allen averaged 8.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 26 minutes per game during 63 regular season contests in 2014-15, missing time due to hamstring, ankle, and eye ailments. Oddly enough, he averaged one more minute per game in 22 regular season games off the bench than he did in 41 starts. Connecting on 50 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point land looks great before considering Allen made only 10 three-pointers and converted just 63 percent from the charity stripe. The 33-year-old first-team all-defender is likely to continue receiving ample playing time. However, the 11-year-veteran has never surpassed 27 minutes per game in his career during the regular season, and the addition of Matt Barnes means that is unlikely to change for Allen unless injuries strike.

Allen is entering his 11th season. Last season, he averaged 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks in 23 minutes per game through 55 games. He shot 49 percent from the field on 7.5 attempts per game, 23 percent from three on 0.9 attempts per game, and 63 percent from the free-throw line on 2.2 attempts per game. In seven playoff games versus the Thunder, Allen averaged 12.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.1 blocks in 33 minutes per game. He shot the ball 49 percent from the field on 10.3 attempts per game, missed all seven of his three-point attempts, and converted 73 percent of his free throws on 2.5 attempts per game. Allen missed time with various injuries (hip, hand) in the regular season but had an excellent showing in the playoffs. He's proven himself to be one of the league's top perimeter stoppers, and whether he starts or not, he's likely to see ample time at both the shooting guard and small forward spots. Despite being only 6-4, he's displayed the ability to defend taller and longer forwards, as evidenced by his first-round matchup with Kevin Durant. Still, Allen's inconsistency as an outside shooter and scorer hasn't helped him solidify must-own status in fantasy outside of the deepest leagues.

Allen continued to be among the league's best perimeter defenders last season, a valuable piece for fantasy teams in the steals category. He plays hard all over the court and brings the kind of energy that's contagious throughout a lineup. His shooting percentage (career 47.5 percent) suggests he's not an offensive cipher, but he is. As a jump shooter, Allen is abysmal, and that allows opponents to collapse inside where they double up Memphis' offensive threats, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. He'll start at shooting guard and impact games defensively, but his inability to be a threat offensively will cap his playing time.

Allen is among the top perimeter defenders in the game and was recognized as such in 2011-12, winning NBA All-Defensive First-Team honors. From a fantasy perspective, he can easily get overlooked because he doesn’t fit the mold of the prototypical scoring two-guard (just 9.8 points per game last season), nor does he rack up gaudy assist numbers (1.4 per game). As one might expect of an All-Defensive team guard, Allen was among the league leaders in steals per game with 1.8 while adding a quality 4.0 boards per game. More understated was his impressive 46.9 percent shooting percentage. While that percentage is an unusually high number for a two-guard, it was actually a step back for Allen, who has shot 48.2 percent for his career and shot 51.0 percent in both of the previous two seasons. The most optimal approach for your fantasy roster would probably be to pair Allen with more of a scoring threat at shooting guard, combining to produce elite numbers at the position. Of course, if you pair Allen with another guard and their teams happen to be playing each other that night, just note that you may want to insert Allen in your lineup in that situation, since he’s almost certain to shut down his counterpart defensively.

Allen’s defense-first style proved to be a better fit in Memphis than O.J. Mayo’s offense, and Allen finished the season as the starting two-guard, averaging 13.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.1 three-pointers, 2.3 steals, 0.9 blocks, and 1.4 turnovers in 29 minutes over 30 starts. Although most of his counting stats are altogether unimpressive, Allen’s shooting efficiency (54 percent) from the field and contributions defensively in the steals and blocks categories made him a surprisingly significant player to own in fantasy last season. He’s on the books with the Grizzlies for the next two seasons at a modest price, and the team has long been rumored to be seeking to deal Mayo. Either way, Allen seems to have the lock on the starting shooting guard position after he helped the Grizzlies defeat the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. Grab Allen at the later parts of your draft if you’re in need of steals and some unconventional help in the blocks category.

Ankle injuries limited Allen to 54 games in 2009-10, and his poor play upon his return relegated him to the back of the guard rotation for a time. He only played 16.5 minutes per game last year, which was his lowest average since his rookie season. The Grizzlies singed Allen to bolster their thin bench and provide some defensive energy. Those responsibilities appear to be extremely apt for his talents, and he probably won’t take on a bigger role without an injury elsewhere on the roster.

Allen will be hurt the most by the addition of Daniels to the backcourt rotation. His best asset is on the defensive end of the court, although a decrease in minutes this season will mean each possession becomes more crucial for him to demonstrate his value to the team and not fantasy owners.

Coming off a major knee injury, Allen was slow to recover last season. Combine that with a team suddenly loaded with talent, and his minutes took a big hit as a result. Still, during the season before last, he recorded 1.5 spg while playing just 24:23 mpg, revealing some upside. Allen re-signed with Boston during the offseason, and with James Posey now out of town, he’ll be a much bigger part of the team’s rotation this year, especially since they need his defense. One more year removed from the knee injury, he’s a sleeper.

Allen was well on his way to winning a key rotation role as a Doc Rivers favorite and Boston's best (only?) perimeter defender when an ACL tear cut his season short. This year, Celtic management is placing a lot of faith in Allen's ability to run the offense as a backup to Rajon Rondo at the point, to recover from that torn-up knee and to keep out of trouble off the court. If Allen can do those three things, he might emerge as a valuable bench player in the NBA and in fantasy this season.

Allen clearly has some questions to answer this season. The second-year defensive guru is coming back from an offseason knee procedure that was not done until mid-September and will cause Allen to miss all of training camp. Not to mention, he was named in a shooting outside of a Chicago (Ill.) nightclub in August, that left two people injured. Other than that, Allen played well in Boston’s summer league, scoring 16.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 28.2 minutes per game in the Las Vegas Invitational. Coach Doc Rivers had increased the Oklahoma State standouts’ minutes to 18.8 in the second half of last season and clearly hoped Allen would become prominent in his off-guard/small-forward rotation with Ricky Davis and Paul Pierce. That’s pretty much all off the board now, however. It would be unreasonable to expect much from Allen this season.

Allen is a good athlete who likes to slash to the rim. He's one of the best defenders in the country. Allen needs a lot of work on his free throw shooting and outside shooting to be effective in the NBA. Look for him to be a early second rounder in the draft.