Brooklyn Nets: 5 free agents from 2nd tier to watch
By Phil Watson
An attractive possibility to take over mentoring of Allen
Brooklyn Nets fans need no introduction to Brook Lopez, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer who was traded away in June 2017 in the deal that brought D’Angelo Russell to the Nets.
Lopez has transformed himself into an elite stretch big, a 7-foot, 270-pound behemoth who let it fly from 3-point range 6.3 times per game for the Milwaukee Bucks this season, hitting a career-high 36.5 percent as a new identity as Splash Mountain emerged for the 11-year veteran.
Lopez turned 31 earlier this month and played this season in Milwaukee on a one-year, $3.38 million deal after the three-year, $63,8 million contract he signed in 2015 to remain in Brooklyn expired.
He fired up an astounding 512 3-point attempts this season, the most in NBA history by a player 7-feet or taller, per Basketball-Reference.com, breaking the old mark of 439 attempts set by Channing Frye with the Phoenix Suns in 2010-11. His 187 makes were also a new high for 7-footers.
Indeed, Lopez was 17th in the NBA in 3-point makes and attempts, an astounding transformation for a player who attempted a total of 31 bombs in his first eight NBA seasons combined.
It was a transformation begun in Brooklyn under then first-year coach Kenny Atkinson, who turned Lopez loose from deep in 2016-17 to the tune of 5.2 attempts per game at a 34.6 percent clip.
Lopez started all 81 games he played this season for the Bucks, but averaged 28.7 minutes in those starts, and he’s had at least some experience as a reserve, as he was a sixth man for part of the 2014-15 season with the Nets.
With Jarrett Allen established as the future at center for the Nets and with Atkinson still convinced Allen has the stroke to stretch his range at least to the corner 3, Lopez could be an outstanding mentor in that process.
A season with Ed Davis brought Allen a long way as a rebounder. Maybe spending some time on Splash Mountain could help Allen take the next step toward becoming the prototype pace-and-space big.