Allen Crabbe: Jarrett Allen has potential as three-point specialist

Allen Crabbe knows three point shooting. It’s his job, his meal ticket. He knows about preparation, technique and selection. So if he thinks Jarrett Allen looks like a three point specialist, you pay attention.

“Jarrett has had some practices where he looks like a 3-point specialist,” Crabbe told Mike Scotto of The Athletic. “You’ve seen it since the first day of summer when he started working. They’ve had him in here shooting as many attempts as me and Joe (Harris) may shoot. He’s been working on it, and he’s pretty efficient at it. You guys can look forward to him taking more throughout the season.”

So far, Allen has taken five three’s and made two. That’s only three fewer than he made all last year ... and his college total during his one year at Texas. Allen, while understanding his greatest value is in the pick-and-roll ... and putbacks, is not shying away from the new role. At all. He just knows he’ll have to pick his spots.

“I know I’m not going to be a Kyle Korver coming out, so the 3s that I have to take I know I have to be wide open and take my time and shoot them,” Allen said. “I’m not going to get them up quickly, so I’m taking the right steps to be able to get it up quickly and make them that way.”

As Scotto notes, the priorities changed for Allen over the summer. Last year, he showed he could hit an occasional three, going 5-of-15, but the Nets made deep shooting a priority in the off-season and assigned Bret Brielmaier, the Nets highly regarded assistant coach, to work with him ... and lined him up with Crabbe and Harris at times during practice drills. Heady company.

It’s all living the new-age big man dream. If you’re open, and can stretch the floor for drives by Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie and D’Angelo Russell, go for it. It’s not your father’s big man game.

“You can ask any big over 6-foot-10 almost, 10 years ago you’re watching Shaq and Dwight Howard, and everybody and their back were to the basket, rebounds, don’t dribble, but now the game is changing so much,” Allen said.

How often will you see the 6’11” (7’3” with the ‘fro) drift out into the corner. More that you’d expect. Jared Dudley told Scotto that in recent years, coaches and organizations have tried to rejigger big man’s games in mid-career, which only works so well. Integrating deep shooting in a 19 or 20-year-old is quite different.

“It’s tough later in your career. Someone like Jarrett Allen, rookie year, they started him last year, you have the whole summer, and it’s not that stigma,” Dudley said.

You might very well see Allen hoist a few Wednesday night. Cleveland is a weak team defensively, without either the talent or inclination to work against anything very creative. We shall see.

• How the Nets’ Jarrett Allen is attempting to expand his game and live a ‘big man’s dream’ - Michael Scotto - The Athletic New York
• Jarrett Allen on the 2018-19 Brooklyn Nets: ‘Everybody loves it here’ - Bryan Kalbrosky - Hoopshype