Arizona’s Allonzo Trier and Rawle Alkins go undrafted, quickly ink deals
Jun 21, 2018, 10:11 PM | Updated: Jun 22, 2018, 4:26 pm
Arizona's Allonzo Trier (35) drives past Colorado's George King (24) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 men's tournament Thursday, March 8, 2018, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
(AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
Arizona Wildcat guards Allonzo Trier and Rawle Alkins went unpicked in the 2018 NBA Draft, but Trier latched on with the New York Knicks and will sign a two-way contract with the team, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Shams Charania.
Alkins also quickly came to an agreement and will join the Toronto Raptors for training camp, reports Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo.
Trier was a high-volume scorer for the Wildcats over the course of his three seasons in Tucson, averaging 18.1 points, 3.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds as a junior in 2017-2018. But each of his three seasons saw him miss games due to injury and controversy.
He missed the first 19 games of the 2016-17 after testing positive for trace amounts of an undisclosed banned substance, and again was forced out of two games in 2017-18 for the same substance.
His freshman year, Trier suffered a broken hand in the middle of the year that kept him out of seven games.
The 6-foot-5, 198-pounder was critiqued for his tendency to hold onto the ball for too long in some situations, with experts believing his first instinct was to score rather than create opportunities on offense. Nonetheless, Trier ranked fifth in the NCAA by averaging 1.12 points per possession, per Synergy Sports.
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Trier’s developed frame gives him the opportunity to produce as a defensive player and slasher at the next level.
In college, most of his damage was done along the perimeter, where he made 38 percent of his threes along with 50 percent of his shots from the field. Trier was the second-leading scorer for the Wildcats last season, behind only center Deandre Ayton, who was drafted first overall by the Phoenix Suns.
Alkins was a do-it-all swingman for the Wildcats over his two college seasons and averaged 13.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a sophomore.
While his shooting percentages dropped off in his sophomore year — he shot 43 percent and hit 36 percent of his threes last season — Alkins showed a promising shooting stroke and as a freshman hit 37 percent of his threes.
Development there and improving his handle likely will swing his NBA value, where he already projects as a solid defender.
