Brooklyn Nets: 2018-19 NBA season preview
By Alec Liebsch
Storyline 2: Jarrett Allen’s next step
Hopefully it’s a eurostep. But seriously, Jarrett Allen showed a lot of promise as a rim-running center last season. His pedestrian averages of 8.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game didn’t tell the whole story.
His superior length (7’6″ wingspan) at his height gives him the foundation to be a nice lob threat for either Russell or Dinwiddie. That same physicality also bolsters his potential as a rim protector, which he showed flashes of last season by leading all rookies with 1.2 blocks per game.
Blocks don’t tell the whole story, but his profile does tell a few chapters of just how good he can become.
The most obvious comparison one can make for Allen’s ceiling is akin to Clint Capela‘s of the Houston Rockets. This is probably a fair comparison, considering both are quite long and nimble.
I will point out, however, that Allen has made much more significant strides as a shooter in one NBA season than Capela has in three. Capela hit a career-high 56.0 percent of his free throws last season; Allen clipped 77.6 percent.
Not to mention Allen’s threat as a 3-point shooter, which is small (15 attempts) but still better than Capela’s (two career attempts).
If Allen can improve as a finisher in the pick-and-roll, that will go a long way towards opening up the offense. His real weakness is on the boards though, which explains the additions Sean Marks made over the summer.
Davis and Faried are known for their rebounding (Davis paced the NBA in rebounding percentage last season at 27.4). This might explain why Marks and Atkinson want to play another big next to Allen as opposed to behind him.
For this offense to truly open up though, Allen must improve in this department. If Atkinson can trust him enough in the paint to fend for himself, that second big can be replaced by another wing or ball handler.
Boy, don’t we all know how much Atkinson loves the latter; he would deploy five point guards if he could.
If Allen takes marginal steps as a finisher, rebounder, and shooter, it will go a long way towards helping the Nets reach a very big goal.