With Deandre Ayton becoming the first Wildcat selected No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft, both Rawle Alkins and Allonzo Trier weren’t as fortunate.
With the attention mostly focused on the selection of Deandre Ayton as the No. 1 overall pick, Arizona fans can’t forget about Allonzo Trier and Rawle Alkins, as the former Wildcats were not selected in the NBA Draft.
Don’t worry, we’re just as baffled as you! Just based on statistics alone, both Trier and Alkins were terrific college players, and arguably worthy of being picked!
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It’s no secret Trier had a monstrous collegiate career, averaging nearly 17 points per game along with 3.7 rebounds, while shooting close to 48 percent from the field, nearly 38 percent from three and over 82 percent from the line.
However, coming into the draft, a lot of Trier’s reputation rested heavily on the “off-court issues” that hampered him to a degree while at Arizona. The NCAA can surely be blamed for that, but unfortunately it is what it is.
The scoring-minded guard/ forward was a former McDonald’s All-American, and perhaps his game is best suited for the NBA, since the NBA tends to value guys who can create shots and score. In his three years in Tucson, that’s exactly what he did.
Disregard all the negative stuff, Trier was a good basketball player that deserved to be drafted. He’s incredibly tough, competitive and hard on himself. Amidst the outside drama while at Arizona, Trier simply produced.
As for Alkins, the non-selection of the Brooklyn native is beyond baffling too. A tough, gritty and physically gifted player from Brooklyn, his omission in the draft is also a head-scratcher.
If you have followed, Alkins seemingly dominated the headlines during the training camps, getting multiple invites from a number of NBA organizations. However, as Thursday evening came and went, his name was never called.
A strong producer while with the Wildcats, we can’t help but wonder why both Trier and Alkins were not selected, especially when players like; George King, Raymond Spalding, Vincent Edwards and even Thomas Welsh were selected. It is worth rating, that none of those players listed had been projected to be selected in the latest mock draft.
Luckily, their chance of competing and potentially making an NBA roster is not over. Following the draft, moves were happening, and both players will at least have opportunities to prove any doubters wrong.
Trier has signed a two-way contract with the New York Knicks, and Alkins signed a training camp deal with the Toronto Raptors!
Sources: Undrafted Arizona forward Allonzo Trier has agreed to a two-way contract with the New York Knicks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 22, 2018
Source: Arizona wing Rawle Alkins has agreed to a training camp deal with the Toronto Raptors.
— Jeremy Woo (@JeremyWoo) June 22, 2018
While the result of the draft is certainly frustrating for Trier and Alkins, we still shouldn’t give up hope, after all, former Wildcats TJ McConnell and Kobi Simmons have been making names for themselves after previously signing as undrafted free agents.
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At Zona Zealots, we are still proud of Cats, even if we feel a number of NBA teams got it wrong! We wish Trier and Alkins the best moving forward! Bear Down, Arizona!