THE NUMBERS
G:72 PTS:8.2 REB: 5.4 BLK: 1.2
THE SEASON
Jarrett Allen’s soft-spoken demeanor often gets misinterpreted as lacking confidence. He went a long way towards proving against that in his rookie campaign.
Allen was labeled a project when he was selected at No. 22 in the 2017 draft as observers questioned if he had the physical maturity and passion to thrive in the NBA. Even within the Nets, the expectation was the center would need to spend some time in the G League to develop his game. But the center would let his game speak for itself as he emerged as a pleasant surprise during Brooklyn’s 2017-18 season.
After missing summer league, Allen got off to a slow start – averaging just 4.2 points and 3.7 rebounds in October and November. Once the then-teen got his first double-digit scoring game, 12 points in a loss against the Hawks in December, his confidence started to pick up. Allen’s scoring, rebounding and blocks numbers would continue to rise, culminating with him being named as starter against the crosstown rival Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 30. His best month of his rookie season would follow shortly after as he would average 12.9 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 61.6 percent.
It was in that month that the Nets realized that they might have, in fact, found their longtime answer at the center position. Ahead of the game against the Rockets on Feb. 6, Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson compared the rookie to Houston’s defensive stalwart Clint Capela. Allen was stunned by the remarks and was highly-appreciative of the complement.
“It means a lot. He’s a high level guy that’s doing very well in his position,” Allen told BrooklynNets.com prior to the Nets’ loss to the Rockets that day. “I’d say he’s one the best in his position. I’m trying to be just as good as him in my position. To be compared on a high level, that means a lot coming from the coach.”
Allen’s breakthrough moment would come a few weeks later though. With Brooklyn stuck in an eight-game losing streak, the rookie sparked the team out of its skid against Chicago with an incredible dunk on Lauri Markkanen. Allen’s slam made Twitter erupt and he was the leading play on several highlight shows that night. He would finish the game with 18 points, nine boards and three blocks while shooting a blistering 8-for-11.
While the dreaded rookie wall would affect Allen’s consistency, his confidence didn’t waver. He pointed to his matchup against the much-bigger Dwight Howard as an example. The Hornets dominated the Nets during the season, averaging 22.0 points and 20.3 against the team. Still, Allen saw a valuable learning opportunity in facing the center.
“I tried to take what opponents did against me and try to use it against opponents,” Allen told BrooklynNets.com after the team’s win on April 9. “I’d say with Dwight Howard, his rebounding. He’s a good rebounder because of how he uses his hands [and] his body. I don’t have his body yet, but using the hands to get rebounds [is important].”
Despite giving up about 30 pounds against the veteran, Allen tried to hold his own against the center and averaged 9.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks against Charlotte. “I tried to show him what I got,” Allen said.
It’s comments like that showcase Allen’s growing self-belief. When revisiting his Capela comments at the end of season, he admitted his ambitions are larger now.
“Getting open, I want to use that model [that Capela uses] to set them [his teammates] up,” Allen said. “But now, I’m trying to expand my game to three-point line.”
It would be hard to put that and much more past Allen considering the growth he’s shown this season.
PLUS/MINUS
Allen is already a talented rim-roller and his better-than-advertised athleticism allows him to compensate for some of the size he gives up to the bigger centers in the league. Still, the goal for the now-20-year-old has to be to get into the gym and get stronger. With some added weight and strength, he can continue to expand his low post repertoire. He’s already shown some glimpses of touch around the rim and that’ll improve as he bulks up.
If Allen can expand in that area and continue to refine his three point shot, he could cement his status as one of the top 10 players from the 2017 draft.