In the current NBA, the emergence of the stretch four position has forced centers to play less with their back to the basket and become more comfortable around the perimeter. The top centers in the NBA are seen as the ones that have the skillset of a Nikola Jokic or an Anthony Davis who are great passers who can knock down the three consistently. In this case, Brooklyn Nets‘ Center Jarrett Allen is a throwback. Allen is a center who shows up to the arena with his hard hat and lunch pail. He is a force on both the offensive and defensive glass, can block shots, and has one of the highest motors in the NBA. With Brooklyn having a surplus of players who have guard skillsets, one former Nets player doesn’t understand why Jarrett Allen isn’t in their starting lineup.
Derrick Coleman Thinks Jarrett Allen Should Be Starting
Derrick Coleman was the number one overall draft pick of the then-New Jersey Nets in 1990. He played with the likes of Mookie Blaylock and Dražen Petrović so he knows how important the role of the traditional big man is in a high-powered offense. It’s one of the reasons that Coleman doesn’t understand why the former Texas standout hasn’t been inserted into the Nets starting lineup. “I think we have two talented guys over there. Who’s the kid with the big afro? I love his energy. I love what he brings to the table, I don’t know why he’s not starting.” Coleman told NetsDaily on Monday.
Allen comes off of the bench for former NBA all-star DeAndre Jordan. He is averaging nearly a double-double off of the bench with 9.6 points and 10.0 rebounds a game and even logs more minutes per game than Jordan. “And again, I think everybody’s trying to play small ball,” Coleman continued. “Everybody can’t do that. Golden State showed they were really capable of doing that because they had shooters. They had guys that could pick and pop and shoot the ball. I think you need a big guy in there just to be that presence on the defensive end of the floor and to be able to communicate.”
Nash Wants To Keep the Team’s Chemistry in Tact
If Allen continues to improve his play as the season moves forward, Head Coach Steve Nash could have a major decision to make concerning who will be in the Nets’ starting five. But the makeup of this team relies heavily on the chemistry guys have with each other both on and off the court. That is part of the reason that Jordan is starting over Allen for now. “He definitely has that relationship with Kyrie and Kevin. He has that experience as the older player. Caris LeVert and JA also have good chemistry. So, it’s a bit of everything,” Nash told reporters during a recent Zoom call.
“They both play. JA has been outstanding and will play plenty, if not the bulk of the minutes, but for right now, he’s just playing those minutes from the second unit. He closed the game against Atlanta on Wednesday. I just don’t want it to become some sort of thing where we’re pitting our guys against each other because I think the group has got a pretty good vibe right now.”
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Nets Legend Thinks Jarrett Allen Should Be Starting