Brooklyn Nets: A tale of two centers – Jahlil Okafor vs. Jarrett Allen

As the season has progressed, the debate over which Brooklyn Nets big man is better to build around, Jahlil Okafor or Jarrett Allen, has become a legitimate debate.

The rebuilding portion of a franchise’s progression is a fun stage for debate among fans. Seeing what sticks to the franchise’s wall of the future is a fun topic for Brooklyn Nets followers to muse on.

The simplest group to compare is center. In the era of small-ball and positional versatility, most teams only deploy one big man at a time.

As is the case with most positions on the Nets’ roster, no clear-cut franchise player exists at the 5. Instead, two complementary players stand out in Jarrett Allen and Jahlil Okafor.

The fun part about comparing them is their contrast in styles. Allen, a rookie from Texas, is of the rim-runner and high-energy finisher archetype. Comparisons for Allen come in the mold of Clint Capela.

Okafor, on the other hand, is a much more traditional center. His footwork in the post is excellent, and he has an arsenal of moves that he uses to get his own shot. He needs no player comparison, since so many before him were great post scorers as well.

So without further ado, here is an analysis of each tower, and which one is better to build around.

Okafor

Big Jah was once considered to be an elite prospect thanks to his polished skill-set. Unfortunately, his rebounding and defense — things that scouts thought would easily translate to the NBA — never caught on.

He’s too slow laterally, which makes him almost a guarantee to get exposed in a pick-and-roll:

As a result, he also can’t stay in front of anyone on a switch. This is problematic, considering how some of the best teams around the association operate. Even though this is a clip from his tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers, he still exhibits the same sluggishness as a Net.

For Okafor to thrive best, he needs four elite perimeter defenders around him, all of whom must have the length and size to be able to switch onto a bigger player. And they would all have to be good enough shooters to space the floor for Jah to do work in the post, because he can’t do it himself.

Contrary to popular belief regarding his deft scoring skills, he’s not very efficient in the post. Quite frankly, no low-block scoring center is in comparison to the efficiency of a 3-point-heavy attack.

It slows down the offense, which is the antithesis to everything Kenny Atkinson’s armada is trying to do. He can’t run the same movement-heavy sets as he wants to when Jah posts up for 10 seconds. The perimeter players become less engaged, and are therefore less likely to make shots when they do get the ball.

Welcome to the small-ball era, where a skill once treated like gold is now obsolete.

Allen

Allen’s style, on the other hand, seems to fit the Nets offense much better than Okafor’s. His athleticism and quick feet make him a dangerous diver on a pick-and-roll, the staple of Atkinson’s attack. His vertical presence, bolstered by his 9’1″ standing reach, makes him a target for lobs when the offense breaks down.

On the other side of the ball, Allen has shown flashes of being a great rim protector. A game that perfectly sums up what Allen does is his outing against the Atlanta Hawks:

He was a black hole at the rim, sucking up any short-range attempts to score. And as a bonus, on the offensive end, he was a perfect target to slam in high-percentage shots as plays broke down. That type of low-usage, high-efficiency presence is precisely what Atkinson wants from his big man.

Allen’s lateral quickness is something to behold as well. It allows him to switch onto quicker guards and wings if necessary, and even close out on shooters. Defensive malleability is becoming more and more of a necessity as centers become better at spacing the floor, and Allen has the physical profile for it.

Obviously Allen has a long way to go. Occasionally he has mental lapses due to being so inexperienced, and he hasn’t quite figured out how to use his physical gifts yet. But if he masters his craft, watch out.

Verdict

Qualities like the ones Allen brings to the table are exactly what a modern center needs to be capable of in order to survive in the modern NBA. Okafor’s deficiencies in these departments will be what holds him back from being a building block.

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This is not to say Okafor’s career is over. He just has a long way to go in comparison to Allen’s strengths, especially in a ball-sharing offense.