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Jarrett Allen (247Sports)

Jarrett Allen (247Sports)

The Brooklyn Nets added another building block to their massive rebuild, taking 6’11” Texas center Jarrett Allen with the 22nd pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Allen, 19, played one year at Texas where he averaged 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.  He is a very good defender and solid rim protector, both traits the Nets could use on their roster.  After trading Brook Lopez to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier in the week, the Nets had a huge hole at the center position.

Timofey Mozgov and Justin Hamilton were the only centers on the roster entering the draft, and neither of them are the long-term solution at the position.  However, Allen could be that guy for Brooklyn. He is exactly what you look for in a modern NBA center.  He is extremely raw offensively, given he only played one year in college, but he is definitely going to the perfect situation.

By acquiring point guard D’Angelo Russell (21-years-old) and Allen, the Nets got younger and much more athletic this week.  Head coach Kenny Atkinson is known for developing young talent, so both players could wind up being very good NBA players down the road. 

The Nets’ young core now includes Caris LeVert, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Russell, Allen, Isaiah Whitehead, Archie Goodwin and Spencer Dinwiddie  Jeremy Lin and Trevor Booker are high-character veterans who will help this group grow.  Lopez will be sorely missed by the team and fans alike, but the organization finally has a group of young players to develop and build around.  After a disappointed rookie year, Atkinson has to be thrilled about this situation.

You also have to credit Sean Marks for the job he’s done since being hired as the GM in early 2016.  He continues to accumulate assets regardless of their draft pick situation. The Nets selected Allen with the first round pick acquired from the Washington Wizards in the Bojan Bogdanovic trade.  Had they not acquired an additional first-round pick at the trade deadline, it would have been much more difficult for Brooklyn to part with a first-rounder (27th overall) in their deal with the Lakers. 

The Nets, notorious for purchasing second-round picks in drafts did not buy one this year.  They had the 57th selection and used it on Aleksandar Vezenkov of FC Barcelona.  He will be stashed overseas for the near future as the Nets monitor his development.

Allen will be introduced at a press conference on Friday afternoon.

Note: Deputy NBA Commissioner Mark Tatum announced during the beginning of the second-round that the Nets-Lakers trade became official.

 

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Jason Goldstein is a co host of the Baseline Jumper NBA podcast, recording every Tuesday night along Ben McDonald. Jason has also spent time as the Basketball Editor at DoubleGSports.com while also handling the Brooklyn Nets Lead Writer duties since October 2015.
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