Will Grayson Allen become the Boston Celtics’ next villain?

The Boston Celtics are a franchise opposing fans love to hate. Is controversial Duke Blue Devil Grayson Allen set to become the next Boston sports villain?

With only one day left until the 2018 NBA Draft, rumors and speculation are rife as one of the wildest days on the basketball calendar draws near.

The Boston Celtics, current owners of seven first round picks in the next four years, will get their first bite of the 2018 NBA Draft class at pick No. 27. General manager Danny Ainge has been able to construct a loaded roster in Boston, with talent and depth at every position. With this in mind, he is in a position to go with the tried and true method of taking the best player available.

Despite having an insanely talented squad, the Celtics could potentially lose two key rotation players from the 2017-18 season. Marcus Smart and Aron Baynes are set to be paid, and it remains to be seen whether or not Ainge will be willing to fork out the funds necessary to retain their services.

With Smart potentially exiting, could there be room for another polarizing guard to slip straight into his position?

Polarizing may be putting it lightly for Grayson Allen, the former Duke Blue Devil who enters the draft after a highly controversial yet successful collegiate career.

Allen comes into the draft on the back of a solid senior season at Duke, averaging 15.5 points, 4.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game, allowing him to once again restore some validity as an NBA prospect. Always a sharpshooter, Allen knocked down 42 percent of his 7.5 3-point attempts per contest — an eye-catching number for prospective franchises in the modern NBA.

The Celtics brought Allen in for a workout last week, no doubt in an attempt to get a closer look at not only the on-court product, but how he would respond in a verbal setting under the media microscope. Via Boston.com, Allen spoke to his four-year collegiate career, allowing him to gain perspective on the consistency of his individual performance.

"“I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself coming in,” he said. “I played for four years, got a lot of tape. If I have a bad day, they have a lot to look at. If I have an incredible day — and I look like Kobe Bryant out there — they got a lot of tape to look at, so really either way, there’s no pressure on myself.”"

The peak of the controversy around Allen occurred in his junior season, when repeated incidents of tripping opponents led to his captaincy being stripped, and a suspension handed down. Fortunately for Allen, his senior season was largely incident free, and he now appears to have a real chance of being snatched up in the first round.

CBS Sports has Allen going at No. 26, while ESPN and NBAdraft.net have him sliding out of the first round. This points to the offensively talented guard likely being available, but should the Celtics scoop him up?

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We already noted the excellent 3-point shooting, but what else does Allen project to bring to the NBA table?

Sports Illustrated notes Allen’s strengths as his size and athleticism. On the negative side, they lament his poor man defense despite his pronounced competitiveness.

One thing you know you are going to get when you see Grayson Allen on the floor is energy and effort. He is a competitor, and in many ways will lift his team to another level in that regard, not dissimilar to how Marcus Smart has been able to in the past — though Smart is without a doubt a far greater defensive player.

With Kyrie Irving, Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward and Shane Larkin soaking up minutes at the guard positions, it may come down to how the Celtics intend to tackle Smart’s restricted free agency in the coming weeks.

With his tripping days seemingly behind him, Allen projects to be an impact scorer off the bench in the NBA. The reality is, every team needs an energy guard that can knock down the 3-ball for its second unit.

In 2017-18, the Celtics bench squad ranked 11th in both scoring (25.8 points per game) and 3-point percentage (30.8 percent). Though not disgraceful numbers by any means, they certainly could add some scoring punch when the starters are grabbing a breather. Allen has the potential to be that offensive spark plug in bursts.

The name Grayson Allen is one that is draws an instant reaction from basketball fans one way or another. But when it’s all said and done, I don’t think the Celtics would regret taking Allen at No. 27. He’s the absolute prototypical “guy you love if he’s on your team and guy you hate if he isn’t.”

What about Grayson himself? What does he think of the reputation he has as being an irritator on the floor?

"“At the end of the day, I’m not getting rid of that because teams want a competitive and emotional guy out there,” he said. “You just have to control it, but they want a guy who brings fire.”"

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Final edition

Yeah, I could absolutely see Grayson Allen becoming the next hated Celtic.