Brooklyn Nets: Assessing the core following the Kyrie Irving injury
By Corey Rausch
Everyone’s best friend and the young man he’s mentoring
A big deal was made about the contract DeAndre Jordan was given this summer. Paying $10 million per season for averages of 8.3 points and 9.9 rebounds per game is often not the best way to spend money but culture mattered to this team. Irving and Durant indicated above other veterans Jordan should be the top target and they gave up money to pay for him.
Jordan is often seen as a locker room leader and that goes beyond any stat sheet. Honestly, the team could be forgiven for this if they did not have a promising young center on the roster. Fans were afraid he would take minutes away from Jarrett Allen, who was entering his third season and had shown flashes of a prototypical center.
Luckily, the team is continuing to prioritize youth in this transition year. The numbers between the two are pretty similar to Allen, posting averages of 10.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Allen has started 51 of his 55 games while Jordan has only started 4 of 47.
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Jordan is nominally playing the backup veteran presence mentoring Allen to stardom. That will be extremely important for this team as he develops over the rest of his rookie contract, which runs through 2021/2022.
If Allen can develop into an All-Star while still on a relatively cheap contract and as Jordan’s exiting what is left of his prime, the Brooklyn Nets will not miss a beat in the frontcourt. Durant, Allen and a serviceable option at forward next to whichever guard is kept to pair with Kyrie Irving has the makings of a title contender. While he is still cheap, they will have to maximize that flexibility.