Brooklyn Nets: An analysis of Jarrett Allen, who the team gave up on too early

Analyzing Jarrett Allen’s time with the Brooklyn Nets.

How many times has your favorite team moved on from a player who ended up successful on another team? Most NBA fans can think of a time when they wished their team had kept a player to see him actualize his potential.

While there have been many players in this category from the Brooklyn Nets, I would like to focus on one of the most promising centers in Nets history, Jarrett Allen. Like many of his former Nets counterparts, Allen was a player who had tremendous potential.

Each year, he has improved in several statistical categories, most notably on rebounds, points, and field goal percentage. He has elevated his game to the point of earning his first All-Star birth this past season. It begs the question: why did the Nets let him go? I will dive into the history of the Nets which gave rise to the acquisition and loss of Jarrett Allen.

I’ve been a Brooklyn Nets fan since 2012 when they moved across the bridge and opened the Barclay’s Center. At the time, they were the underdog basketball team of New York, and their rebranding was fresh to me. The classic black and white and Brooklyn basketball brand is so simple, yet so smooth.

They started the Brooklyn era having built around Brook Lopez and added players like Joe Johnson and Deron Williams. They were an okay playoff team, but they decided to take it to the next level by acquiring Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry in a blockbuster trade in 2013. They gambled so much of their future to land these stars. In the end, the team only stayed together for one season making it to the second round of the playoffs. They had a tough road ahead of them afterward.

They were forced to take whatever talent they could find, wherever they could find it. The turning around of the organization was led by Sean Marks who took over as the Nets General Manager in 2016. He proceeded to hire Kenny Atkinson, an excellent developmental coach who was vital in the Net’s improvement and success. These changes, paired with signing players with good potential (but were lower overall prospects at the time) like Sean Kilpatrick and Jeremy Lin helped the Nets move into an awesome era that Jarrett Allen was a part of.

In June 2017, news dropped that D’Angelo Russell had been traded to the Brooklyn Nets for Brook Lopez amongst other considerations. I personally had never been more excited for a new Nets player. Russell was the second overall 2015 NBA draft pick and his potential was sky-high.

Due to some controversy with a Lakers’ teammate, his stock as a player and leader dropped. This allowed the Nets to pounce and bring in what was possibly their next franchise leader. After an injury-plagued season in 2017 and a rough start in 2018, Russell was the leader the Nets needed.

He made his first All-Star appearance and helped the Nets make the playoffs for the first time since 2015. His story is vital in both the Nets’ history and the rise of Jarrett Allen. Allen was drafted to the Nets in 2017, the same summer Russell arrived. Russell and Jarrett Allen’s play complemented each other well during their development. While Russell’s ascent came faster, Allen’s play was something to be very excited about.

Jarrett Allen was probably my favorite player from the recent Nets era. I loved his afro, the way he played defense, and his level-headed demeanor. The Nets knew he had the potential to be their center of the future; however, another era of Brooklyn basketball seemed to get in the way of that.

We know that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving joined the Nets in the summer of 2019. Not too long after, James Harden was traded to the Nets in another blockbuster that sent Jarrett Allen to the Cleveland Cavilers. I had to be one of the most upset fans upon hearing this news. You might ask why I was so high on Allen, especially when the Nets still had Deandre Jordan and Nic Claxton.

I must admit that I did not think he would ascend so quickly, but I knew he could be one of the best rim-protecting and rebounding centers. His stats in 2019 wouldn’t necessarily wow you, but if you looked at his 8th-ranked field goal percentage and 13th-ranked blocked shots as a sophomore in the league, you’d see his potential for success. He’s embraced and built upon the rim-protecting, rim-rolling, and rebounding role.

Before his injury last season, there was a time when he was ranked the 8th best center in the league according to ESPN Fantasy. He’s taken a big leap by averaging the highest points, rebounds, and field goal percentage of his young career. In addition, he’s helped lead the Cavaliers into one of the best young Eastern Conference teams.

While you can argue there are centers better than him, his impact on winning is undeniable. According to NBA.com, Jarrett Allen was ranked 15th in Player Impact Estimate at one point before his injury. That means when it comes to his impact on winning, he was the 15th best player in the NBA.

It would’ve been nice to see his ascent happen in Brooklyn, the place where he was drafted, but the Nets ultimately gave him up. It is the way of the NBA for players to pass and go to different teams, but the Nets really could have used his services in their pursuit of a championship and positive team culture.

Although the future is uncertain in Brooklyn, Jarrett Allen’s time there holds great significance in the franchise’s history and current endeavors.