Brooklyn Nets: 3 picks from the 2010s we wish would have worked out
By Zane Harris
Brooklyn Nets draft picks we wish worked out: 2. Jarrett Allen
The Brooklyn Nets had two first-round picks in the 2017 NBA draft. The first being the 22nd overall pick and the second being the 27th overall pick. Considering how late in the first round these picks are, the quality of players that the Nets selected was truly impressive.
Despite this, both players are no longer on the roster.
The player that the Nets selected with the 22nd overall pick was Jarrett Allen. He ranks second in his draft class in win shares only behind Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo. Allen was recently traded in the 2020-2021 season in the blockbuster trade that shipped James Harden off to Brooklyn.
Now, Allen may be the franchise player for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team he landed on after the trade. Allen is just the player the Nets desperately need on their roster right now. He is a dominant defensive center that does not need the ball in his hands to be productive.
He would be able to pick up some of the slack of the Nets on the defensive end along with being an anchor in the paint along with a rim protector.
On the offensive end, he would have been an incredible pick and roll threat if he was left on the roster along with being an elite offensive rebounder.
While it should not be held against the Nets that they traded Allen to acquire a player to the level of Harden, it would have been great to see how the rest of his career would have played out if he stayed on this championship-contending Brooklyn roster.