Brooklyn Nets: Jarrett Allen has blossomed as the starting center

The Brooklyn Nets continue to grow with starting center Jarrett Allen quietly racking up impressive stat lines.

Allen has been one of the significant reasons why Brooklyn has gone on a tear since Kyrie Irving went down, as the Nets have now won 9 of their last 12 games after their All-Star point guard suffered a shoulder injury.

Without Kyrie, the 21-year old center has averaged 15.2 points and 12.3 rebounds per game while hitting a scorching 68.9% of his shots. Since splitting starts with DeAndre Jordan in the first six games, Allen is starting to cement his status as the unquestioned starter for the Brooklyn Nets. Here’s how he’s done it.

Sharing the court with floor-spacing wings

Since being inserted into the starting lineup, Jarrett Allen has played alongside Garrett Temple, Joe Harris, and Taurean Prince. These three have been Brooklyn’s best sharpshooters so far, and their ability to space the court has let the Nets run the pick and roll with Dinwiddie and Allen over and over again.

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This wasn’t the case on the bench, as their role players like Theo Pinson and Dzanan Musa don’t provide similar marksmanship from deep. (Both shooting below 20% from three)

The new starting lineup of Spencer Dinwiddie, Taurean Prince, Garrett Temple, Joe Harris, and Jarrett Allen is currently outscoring opponents by 9.3 points per 100 possessions. It’s going to be interesting to see Kenny Atkinson‘s lineups once Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert return.

Becoming a True Defensive Anchor

Allen has always been a promising paint protector with his 7’6″ wingspan, but he’s now starting to show consistency on the less glamorous end of the court. The young, springy center currently ranks within the top 20 in the following categories: Rebounds, Blocks, Block %, Blocks per game, Defensive Rebounds, and Defensive Box Plus/Minus.

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It’s great to see Jarrett Allen continuing to improve in an expanded role, as his 26.4 minutes per game is currently the highest of his budding career. Many young players who perform well in limited action often falter when tasked with a larger workload, so it’s encouraging that Allen has stepped up to the challenge.

Removing Three Pointers From his Shot Selection

Ever since his inaugural season with the Nets, Jarrett Allen has tried to expand his game beyond the arc. This often fared poorly, as the former Texas star has a career 18% mark from three.

After attempting 60 three point shots in his first two years in the league, Allen has taken just one shot from deep this season. Not only has he eliminated the deep ball, but he’s improved his entire shot selection altogether. He’s currently attempting 76% of his field goals from 0-3 feet away from the basket, the highest percentage of his career.

Despite coming off an improved sophomore season, there were still many questions about how Jarrett Allen would adapt to the large roster turnover that came during this past offseason. Through 22 games and 19 starts, Allen is beginning to answer all of those questions and more.