Primary Position: SG
Secondary Position: PG
Height: 6′5”
Weight: 205 lbs.
College: Connecticut
Draft: 5th overall, 1996 (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Career Stats
PPG 21.5
RPG 4.6
APG 3.9
SPG 1.3
3FG% .397
FT% .888

Career Accomplishments/Awards

• 7-time NBA All-Star (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)
• 2nd Team All-NBA in 2005
• 3rd Team All-NBA in 2001
• 2nd Team All-Rookie in 1997
• Is second all-time in three-point field goals made (1,920), behind Reggie Miller (2,560).
• Is tied with Reggie Miller for eighth all-time in free throw percentage (.888).

Strengths

• Shooting: Ray Allen is undoubtedly one of the best shooters in NBA history, and at 32 years old, not many people would argue that he’s still the best in the business. He’s got nearly picture perfect form, as his arms and body is proportioned exactly the same on each shot (whether a defender is in the area or not), and he’s very consistent. He’s a long-range sniper with a consistent mid-range game, and he also had added pull-up/tweener game to his repertoire as he has matured. Also, of course, Allen is one of the best free throw shooters in the history of the game (88.8%).

• Off-Ball Movement: Allen is a sniper, but he’s not your prototypical chucker who sits in the corner, waiting for the ball to be passed to him. He’s one of the best in the league at creating his own opportunities without the ball. If a defender lets him loose and allows him to catch a pass behind a screen, it’s almost a guaranteed two points. Screens help, but Ray Allen makes outstanding reads and is able to free himself in almost any situation.

• Finishing Around the Rim: This is one of the most underrated aspects of Ray Allen’s game. A lot of people just look at him as a deadly shooter, but he can penetrate and finish around the rim as well. He may not finish with loud dunks like he did in his earlier years, but he methodically weaves to the hoop and is able to lay the ball in, even after drawing contact. He’s a much more versatile scorer than the average person gives him credit for.

• Leadership, Professionalism, & Work Ethic: Ray Allen is the epitome of a consummate professional. In an ideal world, the best player on the team is also the leader. Ray Allen has been that throughout his entire career (although he will share a little limelight with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in Boston) and has always led by example, both on and off the court. He believes in team camaraderie, hard work, and dealing with things in a professional manner. He’ll be the first one in the gym, he’ll be the last one to leave, he’ll call the young guys to make sure they are eating right and getting enough sleep, he’ll vocally motivate you on the court and in practice, and he’ll never complain or bring negative anecdotes to the team. He will bring a team together both mentally and emotionally.

• Basketball IQ: Allen is a very smart player. As mentioned earlier, Allen makes excellent reads in order to free himself from a defender, but he also is always aware of where his teammates are on the floor. It’s fair to say that Allen’s court vision and smarts have always been the most underrated part of his game. He doesn’t overdo it to impress the crowd, he handles the ball well, and his offensive awareness level is off the charts. Because of those skills, Allen is able to rotate down to the point guard position, where he also played a fair amount in his early years in Milwaukee, back when he played for George Karl.

• Conditioning & Durability: Ray Allen is one of the best conditioned players in the NBA, and takes excellent care of his body. Despite missing 27 games this past season and having bone spurs removed from his left ankle this past offseason (a minor procedure), Allen has always been one of the most durable players in the game. Throughout his 11-year NBA career, he has only missed a combined total of 80 games and has played in 790 out of a possible 870 (90.8%) games.

• Clutch: As one of the best shooters the game has ever seen, Ray Allen gets it done with the game on the line. Unfortunately, he hasn’t had much to work with in order to advance in the playoffs on a consistent basis (although he did lead Milwaukee to the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals, in which they lost to Philadelphia in seven games), but he delivers from the floor and the free throw line when his team needs a big play.

Weaknesses

Man-to-Man Defense: Allen is a solid team defender, especially in a zone setting, but he’s not necessarily a defensive stopper. Allen is a smart player who works hard, but he lacks the lateral quickness to be a respectable one-on-one defender, and he doesn’t have the frame to muscle the opposition around.

Age: Ray Allen has a lot of basketball left in him, and he will be an effective offensive weapon until he hangs it up, but that doesn’t mean you can fully ignore the fact that he is 32 years of age and recently had ankle surgery (even though it was a minor bone spur removal). It more than likely will not be a Gary Payton-like drop-off, but naturally he’s going to decline at some point.

Ray Allen has gotten to the Eastern Conference Finals with Milwaukee back in 2001, and he has surged a young Seattle Supersonics team to the second round of the 2005 NBA Playoffs, but he has never truly been a part of a serious contender. This year, alongside the likes of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, Ray Allen will get a real shot to experience a trip to the promise land. Each piece on this Celtics roster complements one another, it’s all about hunger, cohesiveness, and getting it done in the postseason. Hopefully Allen can remain healthy and be a part of a winning experience that he truly deserves.

One Response to “Celtics Player Profiles - Ray Allen”

1. Celtics 24/7 » Blog Archive » Today’s Links 9/5 Says:
   September 5th, 2007 at 8:54 am

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