The Charlotte Hornets have dealt with their fair share of injuries early in the season, but there is one player who has been able to step up in the team’s time of need. That player is Grayson Allen.

Grayson Allen was not brought to Charlotte to be the team’s leading scorer, but through the first 11 games, Allen has been one of the Hornets’ better offensive players. He is also shooting the basketball at a level that should at least get his name mentioned in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation.

It is still early in the season, but if Allen continues to play at this level, it will be hard to ignore what he is doing for the Hornets.

Grayson Allen Has Been One of Charlotte's Best Shooters

Allen is averaging 15.3 points, 3.0 assists and 3.5 made three-pointers per game. He's also shooting 47% from beyond the arc while playing just under 27 minutes per game.

These are impressive numbers for a player who has come off the bench in most of his games this season.

Allen scored 27 points in the Hornets’ 124-112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, making six of his 12 attempts from beyond the arc and adding six assists and four rebounds.

This wasn’t the first big game for Allen. He scored 27 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 31 and followed that up with 22 points against the Brooklyn Nets on November 4.

The Hornets have struggled to find consistent scoring at times this season. Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel have been out with injuries, and Allen has stepped in to fill the scoring void on numerous occasions.

While there have been some rough games for Allen, such as his scoreless outing against Boston on November 6, when his outside shot is falling, he provides the Hornets with another perimeter scorer who can put up points in a hurry.

Could Allen's Role Hurt His Chances?

One of the potential roadblocks for Allen to be in contention for the Sixth Man of the Year award is his role on the Hornets.

He has been moved into the starting lineup recently because of the injuries to Miller and Knueppel. In 11 games this season, Allen has only started two games, but with the Hornets being so short-handed, that number could increase as the season goes on.

To be eligible for the Sixth Man of the Year award, a player must appear in more games as a bench player than as a starter.

That's something to keep an eye on for the rest of the season.

The more the Hornets need Allen on the floor, the more opportunities he will have to score. This can only help his numbers, but if he continues to start games, it could eventually hurt his chances of winning the Sixth Man of the Year award.

The Hornets have a very unique situation with Allen right now. On one hand, the team needs him to continue to produce on the offensive end of the floor. On the other hand, the more games he starts, the more likely he is to play himself out of eligibility for the Sixth Man of the Year award.

Allen Still Has Plenty to Prove

While Allen has started off on the right foot, there is still plenty of basketball to be played, and he must continue to produce at a high level over the course of the season.

It will be interesting to see if Allen can maintain his impressive shooting from the outside over the course of the entire season. There will be games where his outside shot is not falling, and it will be interesting to see how he responds in those games.

The other question is what happens when Charlotte gets healthy.

If Miller and Knueppel return to the lineup and Allen is pushed back to the bench, he could see fewer minutes and scoring opportunities. But it could actually help his Sixth Man of the Year campaign.

Charlotte didn’t bring Allen in to carry the offense for the team. He’s been able to do that at times, and that’s been great for the team, but it’s not what Charlotte expected from him.

Whether or not that translates to a Sixth Man of the Year campaign for Allen remains to be seen, but the way he’s playing right now, it’s certainly worth a conversation.