While the 2017 NBA Draft is not as filled with big men as it has been in years past, there are a group of talented forwards projected to be taken in the late lottery or mid-first-round that can potentially offer positive production in the NBA. Arguably the premiere talent among these young big men is Texas’ Jarrett Allen.
A top-15 high school recruit coming into college, Allen suffered from lack of attention due to the immense struggles that the Texas basketball team suffered as a team last year; the Longhorns went 11-22. Despite team struggles, Jarrett Allen showed that he has high potential, and could very well be the best down-low player from this class when it’s all said and done.
Physique:
Jarrett Allen has an extremely solid body altogether. He measures in at 6-foot-10 with a long wingspan of 7-foot-5. He weighs around 235 pounds and recorded a max vertical of 35.5 inches at the NBA Draft Combine. His athleticism is solid enough to physically impose himself in the lanes and he also has superb body control to where most of his movements are fluent and effective.
Jarrett Allen’s physical attributes should translate well to the NBA, though strength is something he will have to improve on. His length is phenomenal and attributes to his prowess on the defensive end. All in all, there shouldn’t be much concern with Jarrett Allen’s physical attributes once he gets to the NBA.
Statistics:
Jarrett Allen didn’t have the most exploding statistics. Part of that is due to the fact that there were no true playmakers on Texas’ team that year. This limited Allen’s scoring opportunities as he only took 9.6 shots per game. On those shots, he averaged 13.4 points per game shooting 56.7 percent from the field, which led the Big 12 Conference. Allen also ranked third in the Big 12 in rebounds per game (8.3) and fourth in blocks per game (1.5).
A usage percentage of 22.6 was considerably lower than some of the other established big men in this draft class. A statistic that, in practicality, is the percentage of team possessions that end with an action by that player, is another indication of how particularly limited Jarrett Allen was at Texas. In the NBA, Allen’s usage is bound to go up, meaning we still haven’t seen the full potential of Jarrett Allen.
Eye Test:
Game film on Jarrett Allen shows he has excellent offensive potential. His proficient midrange jump shot that he hits consistently will likely be what does him the most good as an NBA prospect. Allen also has a reliable post hook and mid-floater with a soft touch. He can take his man off the dribble and finish face-up layups as well.
Allen also finishes above the rim a lot. With such great length, he can throw down dunks, whether they’re created off of offensive sets or running in transition. The length also allows him to come down with offensive boards that he simply goes up higher than other rebounders for. He can finish around the rim more skillfully than other big men in this draft. Getting under the rim to finish reverses and acrobatic layups is a strength of his.
Jarrett Allen also positions himself extremely well in the lanes; he knows where to be and when to make his move towards the rim in order to receive a pass and finish. This will result in easy assists in which Allen doesn’t even have to take a dribble. It shows intelligence and basketball IQ when he’s on the floor.
Allen can be a masterful defensive big in the NBA. That large body makes for exceptional rim protection and his quick hands can cause steals on that end. We likely won’t see him on an NBA All-Defensive Team or anything, but he should be a serviceable defender for his team.
Joined a sizable turnout of GM’s/execs to watch Jarrett Allen + Justin Jackson workout in Va. Easy to see why Allen’s climbed draft boards. https://t.co/lvvBpahYvd
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) May 24, 2017
Weaknesses:
Strength, at the moment, is an issue for Jarrett Allen. Certain matchups were able to body up Allen down low, and at times the physicality seemed a bit much. This is particularly concerning on the glass. He doesn’t box out as well, and with a physical big on him, he often would try to tip the ball with one hand instead of force his way up with two. In the NBA, he’ll face tough, physical matchups most nights. This will surely be something that is worked on after he gets drafted.
To go along with that, Allen’s post-ups are average at best. He has the hook/floater shot, which is huge for a big down low. However, finishing closer to the rim off post-ups is a weaker part of his game. In the NBA, it takes practice to finish there through contact. Better offensive sets and individual playmakers should help with this to an extent.
Certain things that we see in other elite prospects such as on-court leadership, assertiveness and full-out effort are things that Jarrett Allen will have to show that he has at the next level. That’s the problem with playing on a struggling college team; similar to Markelle Fultz, emotional and mental aspects to the game are hard to make out in that kind of circumstance.
Notable Notes:
Jarrett Allen scored at least 20 points in four games last season. Of those four games, two came against Kansas, college basketball’s best team for a good portion of the season. Another one came against Baylor, a consensus top-10 team for most of the season that even ranked tops in college basketball at one point. The other came against TCU, a team that beat Kansas in the 2017 Big 12 Tournament.
Allen struggled to score from the beginning of the season through January, which included seven games of single-digit scoring totals. Once February hit, Allen really found his rhythm. In the 12 games from the beginning of February to the season’s end in March, Jarrett Allen averaged 16 points per game with just one game in single-digit scoring. Allen also scored at least 17 points in eight of those final 12 games.
NBA Comparison: Myles Turner
Both of these players are skilled big men from Texas, but they have much more than common than just that. Allen has similar size and playstyle to what former Longhorn Myles Turner has shown in the NBA. Both have the same knack for being in the right position for passes, proficient midrange jumpers and underrated post passing ability. Jarrett Allen could wind up a lot like Turner in the NBA if all goes correctly. If that’s the case, the team that drafts him will be very happy.
