Brooklyn Nets: Can Jarrett Jack Lead The Second Unit?
By Adam McGee
With a couple of departures this summer, the Brooklyn Nets’ roster has taken on a totally different dimension. They have a lot of talent, no doubt, but if they are to be in any way successful, there are a couple of factors which they’ll have to rely upon. Firstly they need Deron Williams and Brook Lopez to remain healthy throughout the season, and secondly they need to find some creativity and offense off of their bench. The man capable of supplying the second one of those is without question Jarrett Jack.
At 30 years old, Jack is now an NBA veteran, and as his career has progressed he has grown into the role of sixth man. Jack has a versatile offensive output, making him the type of guy who can jump start a team with his performance from the bench. What Brooklyn need to see from Jack is some consistency and reliability though.
Last season, it was Shaun Livingston, now of the Golden State Warriors, who was the team’s secondary ball handling option. Livingston’s solid and well-rounded game eventually saw his role increased to be a starter, yet he still spent a lot of time on the floor with the second unit. What made Livingston’s play so impressive last year was his overall effort. Livingston imposed himself on games on both ends of the floor, without really ever having to force it. A reliable team player, the 29-year-old was just the sort of player that teams love to have in reserve.
Can Jarrett Jack match up to that? Well, one thing’s for sure, Jack is more explosive and streaky than his predecessor. Over the course of his career, Jack has showcased skills on offense that it would appear Livingston doesn’t have. To compare the pair’s performances from last year even, Jack comes out comfortably on top.
Jack averaged 9.5 points per game, which was 1.2 better than Livingston. Jack had 4.1 assists, giving him an edge of 0.9 over the former Net. Then the biggest disparity between the two comes when we look at how things played out from behind the arc. As Jack put up a respectable 34.1 percent from deep, Livingston proved once and for all that he has no three-point game by averaging only 16.7 percent. So, in terms of offense, there seems little doubt that Jack is an upgrade and capable of creating baskets for Brooklyn.
Where the tougher questions arise is when we look at the areas that were Livingston’s strengths. Offensively, Jack can be a catalyst, but is the all-round shape of his game as reliable and efficient?
On the defensive end, Livingston gave the opposition a different look. At 6″7′, he was abnormally tall for a guard, and that extra length allowed them to constantly hassle defenders with his length. Livingston had 1.2 steals a game last season, as opposed to the 6″3′ Jack’s 0.7. Another area where the size difference will be a factor is rebounding, where Livingston averaged 3.2 per game, 0.4 greater than Jack’s mark.
It’s not just on the defensive end that there could be a problem though. Jack is a good shooter, but the Baltimore native does have a habit of going cold from time to time. That shows in his field goal percentage too, as the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket only shot 41 percent on field goals last year. With the Nets used to Livingston chiming in at an efficient 48.3 percent, the change could take some getting used to. As could the extra 2.3 attempts Jack will take per game.
The reality seems to be that on balance, changing over from Livingston to Jack should have little effect, positive or negative, on Brooklyn’s play this season. Jarrett Jack will prove himself to be more than capable of leading the Nets bench squad, but unfortunately, he doesn’t seem like the guy who’ll make the difference to propel them to anything bigger.