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NBA DRAFT: NETS TAKE JARRETT ALLEN OF TEXAS AT NO. 22

By Net Income and Anthony Puccio
NBA: Draft Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Jarrett Allen, the 6’11” Texas center who had been expected to go in the lottery or just out of it, fell to the Nets at No. 22 Thursday. Allen is barely 19 years old, a one-and-done, and will be one of the youngest players to ever wear a Nets uniform.

“I’m looking forward to it a lot,” Allen said at the Draft of playing for the Nets. “Having young players, it feels like it creates good chemistry. You don’t have older players, everybody has the same goal of trying to become the best they can.”

Allen has a 7’5 1/2” wingspan, a 35.5” maximum vertical and 9’1 1/2” reach. He can also run the floor. He spoke about what he can do.

“Mostly defensive, like blocking shots, guarding pick-and-rolls, just doing everything on that end,” Allen said when asked about what he’ll bring to Brooklyn. “And then on the offensive game, I have a pretty basic skill set, just kind of back to the basket, trying to work on my face-up game and shot.”

As Jonathan Givony reported before the Draft...

Allen struggled early, but found his footing as the year moved on, eventually being named to the Big 12's All-Rookie and All-Conference Third Team, in large part thanks to a very strong month of February in which he averaged 18 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 35 minutes through eight contests.

A large part of the appeal with Allen surrounds his physical profile. Despite standing just 6'9 without shoes, a hair short for a center, he has a tremendous 7'5 ¼ wingspan, a 9'1 ½ standing reach, gigantic hands, and a 234 pound frame that will fill out nicely in time.

DX also stated that he’ll need to land somewhere with a great development staff and plenty of patience. Welcome to Brooklyn.

Sean Marks agreed after the Draft that the Nets will need time to develop him.

Overall, Allen averaged 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks for the Longhorns. Allen is more a conventional low post center with little outside shooting. He did not make a three during his freshman year.

Draft Express had Allen as high as No. 8 in the lottery as recently as late April, but Allen continued to slip, dropping out of the DX lottery in May and finishing up Thursday at No. 16. He did not participate in the 5x5 play at the Draft Combine but underwent athletic testing.

One reason for his slip was his need for greater strength which even he admitted during an interview during the Combine.

“The obvious one is strength. Everybody tells me to get stronger. And the other one is just trying to keep more consistency in my game," he told ESPN. He reiterated that in an interview after being selected with the 22nd pick. “I need to bulk up to be able to play center in this league.”

Jay Bilas said after the pick that “one of the questions some people have had about jarrett allen ... does he love to play?” Tom Crean, who had tried to recruit Allen while head coach at Indiana, dismissed that notion.

"This was a guy (Allen) that was getting up at six in the morning to go to gyms and work out about thirty minutes from his house in the summertime and the school year" and added that "he plays like a guy that’s really developed some hunger".

After the draft ended, Sean Marks said more than once that Allen is a “fine young man.” Allen told the media he’s wanted to be a pro his whole life, but hasn’t watched much of the game.

But that’s not his concern in the NBA. Inconsistency is. Allen did have several strong games, his most significant a 22-point, 19-rebound effort vs. Kansas.

Born in Austin, the home of UT, Allen turned 19 in April. He was a member of USA Basketball’s Under 18 team that won a gold medal at the 2016 FIBA Americas Cup.

Allen admitted that he only met with the Nets yesterday, and culture was certainly a topic of discussion.

“They said they wanted high character individuals, people that are not going to bring toxicity to the team.”

Now that he’s here, is he ready for the big city?

“It's a busy city, busy life. I mean, personally I could do with a little more trees, but I'm happy to be here.”

And now that Brook Lopez is gone?

“That opens up another spot for me to go in and play.”

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