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Brooklyn Nets center Jarrett Allen is certainly starting to make his impact felt. After coming off the bench for 41 games, Allen received a starting lineup spot for last Tuesday's game against the New York Knicks. The Nets still lost, but Allen was one of the few bright spots in their 16-point loss. He had 12 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting game and added four rebounds in 19 minutes. Allen was also a starter for Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, and he had a better game. He received another starting nod two nights ago against the Los Angeles Lakers, and the rookie provided a career-high 20 points in a three-point loss. He does not have any intentions of stopping his good performances anytime soon.
As the 22nd pick in last year's NBA Draft, Allen was ready to face former Nets star, Brook Lopez. Lopez was traded to the Lakers this past offseason. Allen was up to the challenge of guarding and being guarded by Lopez and spoke about their matchup after the game.
According to Brian Lewis from New York Post, Allen said:
“It was good. [Lopez] was the face of the franchise here and now I’m here trying to become the face, too. So just going back and forth, it’s a good challenge.”
That will be a hard task, with other young players like D'Angelo Russell and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson also aspiring to become the face of the Nets. But still, teammates, opponents, and coaches already recognize the talent Allen has. Lakers head coach Luke Walton had big praise for him, saying:
“He’s going to be good.” He quickly corrected himself and added, “He’s not going to be good. … He’s already good from what little I’ve seen.”
What looked like a lost franchise after trading away a lot of assets trying to build a championship roster five years ago now looks like a land of opportunity for young, talented stars in the making.
