Brooklyn Nets: A realistic look at next season’s starting lineup

Center: Jarrett Allen

Having two future potential Defensive Player of the Year candidates in LeVert and Jarrett Allen on the Brooklyn Nets roster is always a great sign for this young organization. Allen, however, is the heartbeat of the team on defense and his all-around game is improving with it.

Known for one of his most famous blocks on LeBron James, Allen is an elite rim protector who averaged 1.5 blocks per game. The 21-year-old has shown signs of being able to stop anyone in the league. His 6-11 frame isn’t the tallest for a dominant center, but the 8.4 RPG (and 2.4 Offensive Rebounds) made up for his lack of size.

Allen’s athletic frame makes him a threat when defending against another athletic big, and will continue to improve even more with time. His improvements on the offensive side of the ball, however, can be attributed to the added minutes load that he’s taken on.

Adding an extra 6.2 minutes a game over his rookie season, Allen has been able to make the most of it on offense and provide a great spark for the Brooklyn Nets in the pick and roll game. With his usage rate actually going down this season from 16.3 to 15.9, Allen made up for his usage with efficiency on both ends.

The offensive end saw a great increase in efficiency, he was responsible for 4.4 of the team’s offensive win shares. His dominant play led the entire team in offensive win shares. As a second-year center, that’s incredibly impressive.

I’ve always been a fan of Jarrett Allen. Whether it be the afro, the headband, the grit, or just the complete swagger to his game, he’s a stud on the court. It’ll be exciting to see how he performs with the rest of his returning cast. But if he keeps making constant improvements to his offensive game, he could become another Brooklyn Nets all-star, along with many of his teammates in the near future.