As soon as Jacque Vaughn took over as head coach, the Brooklyn Nets took Jarrett Allen out of the starting lineup. Was that the right move?
The Brooklyn Nets will have a very serious problem next season if we don’t come to a conclusion with this one lingering problem. It has been a problem when Kenny Atkinson was coaching this season and will be a problem whoever else is coaching.
Can you guess what the problem is?! It is very straightforward.
The problem the Brooklyn Nets face is who is going to be our starting center for the season. With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving back in the line-up, many sports analysts are saying, “DeAndre Jordan should be starting since he has a relationship with Kevin Durant”.
I definitely disagree with their take whole-heartedly. We need Jarrett Allen at the center for the Brooklyn Nets next season especially if the floor is going to be spaced out with Kevin Durant possibly playing the four. Allen brings the line-up together and you shall see why.
First of all, let’s make a huge note: the game has changed over the last 5 years. Championship contending teams like the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, and more are not contending without having some offensive efficiency from their front-court especially from their center position.
If we are talking about trying to win a championship next year, Jordan decreases our chances of having offensive efficiency in the regular season and postseason. According to Forbes, Jordan is minus 3 points per 100 possessions while Allen is plus 6 per 100 possessions. In simple terms, Jordan is holding the Nets back from really putting buckets because he can’t score.
This is a huge problem especially when teams are scoring at least 110 points on a consistent basis. The Nets can’t have that… Start Allen.
Let’s make another note. Again the game has changed over the last 5 years. You have athletic big men who are now capable of doing a lot more than just facing-up. They can shoot from the perimeter, run quickly in transition, and funny enough bring up the ball to set up the offense.
You would think Jordan’s game has adjusted to this style after playing for more than 10 seasons… No. It’s so funny to me that 2 seasons ago, you had Zach Randolph on the Sacramento Kings running point, shooting 3 pts, and playing defense on DeMarcus Cousins.
There’s more time for Allen to adjust his game to this new style to make him a better center for The Nets to win a championship next season. Again… Start Allen.
So do we start Allen, after all this breakdown.. Yes. The two flaws to his game is that he isn’t big enough to hold down the paint against big men like Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic and he doesn’t have experience. These all can be solved simply by starting him and putting some muscles on the kid.
With the league switching to a very small style of playing basketball, Allen is more than equipped to handle the job and get things done. If things go wrong, we can put DJ, but let’s start Allen…