Nets: Raptors shutting down Jarrett Allen proves how valuable he is to Brooklyn

Toronto shutting down Jarrett Allen proved how integral a player he is to the Nets.

As most fans might have expected, the Brooklyn Nets haven’t found it easy to break down the Toronto Raptors’ tenacious defense, which ranked third in the NBA in points allowed per game during the regular season.

After keeping things relatively competitive in the opening two games of the series, the Nets were run off the court in Game 3, faltering to the tune of a 117-92 defeat. Brooklyn is now on the verge of being swept, but there is a silver lining to be added amid its recent struggles.

The overall value of Jarrett Allen has come to light over the last two contests. In Game 2, the former first-round pick was an absolute menace on both sides of the floor, posting 14 points (on 5-for-9 shooting), 15 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. His +9 trailed only Garrett Temple for the team lead.

Following that dominant performance, it was clear that Raptors game-planned to neutralize Allen. Their adjustments were extremely effective, so it wasn’t a huge surprise that Brooklyn failed to establish a rhythm on offense.

In Game 3, Allen logged 33 minutes and didn’t even attempt a field goal. Think about how bizarre that is. The Texas product wasn’t given an inch in the post as all four of his points came from the charity stripe. It was evident that Toronto planned to funnel Allen and his shot-blocking prowess outside of the paint.

When that wasn’t possible, the defending champs made it a priority to run its offense around the 22-year-old big man. That simply wasn’t the case in the previous matchup, as evidenced by his electric block on Raptors guard OG Anunoby’s dunk attempt early in the first quarter.

It hasn’t been fun watching Toronto carve up the Nets in the first three games of the series. However, fans in Brooklyn can take solace in the fact that Allen’s value to the team is steadily increasing. The third-year pro absolutely deserves a prominent spot in the rotation moving forward.

Anyone who thinks otherwise isn’t seeing the bigger picture.