DeAndre: The voice of experience Nets need
Here’s something you can’t debate: DeAndre Jordan is a better passer than Jarrett Allen, and it’s not particularly close.
Allen may be the more athletic, spry and energetic of the Nets’ two startingcaliber big men. He has the edge in the category of youth. But Jordan’s experience is why he’ll be the starter for the Nets this year, and more than likely next year, too.
This was a fact that was swept under the rug when Jordan took over for Allen as the Nets’ starting center. The focus at the time was still on Kenny Atkinson, whose shocking and abrupt dismissal was rooted in an inability to appease his stars and turn a culture of development into a culture of winning.
Jordan’s move to the starting lineup, along with Atkinson’s dismissal — and the trade that sent D’Angelo Russell packing — marked the organization’s turning point: The time to win is now. The time to develop was yesterday.
Allen represents what the Nets used to be. Jordan represents where they are heading.
Allen still represents the old Nets. He’s a promising young player who can meet the highest of flyers at the rim. But his low-post game still leaves much to be desired. His size and strength have improved, but not nearly enough to suffice in battles against lumbering bigs like Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. He isn’t yet comfortable with the ball in his hands farther than 10 feet from the rim.
As far as he’s come, Allen is still a work in progress. He’ll be the first to admit that.
Jordan isn’t perfect, either. He’ll admit that. Jordan, 31, is on the tail end of his prime. His athleticism has waned. He’s not the same Lob City finisher who baptized Brandon Knight.
But what he now lacks in athleticism, which he still has to a degree, he compensates for in experience. Experience directing a defense. Experience on winning basketball teams. Experience playing a role alongside superstars. Experience the Nets need on the floor if they’re going to contend for a championship.
And importantly: Experience with the ball in his hands away from the rim.
You won’t see DeAndre Jordan’s And-1 mixtape any time soon. He’s not going to take his man off the dribble in the high post. But Jordan has been decisive in the area he calls “the hub,” or around the elbow where big men get the ball and become facilitators. It’s the same place Al Horford likes to operate. The only difference is Al Horford has a jump shot. Jordan won’t shoot the ball. He’ll just get the ball to someone else … quickly.
There was a clear-cut reason the Knicks brought him off the bench. It’s the same reason they put Enes Kanter on the bench the season before: The Knicks needed to be more focused on developing players than winning games.
That’s why the Knicks were right to start Mitchell Robinson last season. Robinson, who often capped his minutes around 20 due to foul trouble, needed all that time on the floor. Jordan, a veteran on a floundering team, had no purpose but to play backup big and mentor the young players around.
The Nets are a totally different team, one that needs Jordan’s expertise, and passing is an area in which he has surprised many.
It’s not the first thing that comes to mind for a center. When talking big men, you think about their ability to protect the paint, direct a defense, crash boards and finish at the rim. Jordan’s court vision opens the offense. He ranks 20th among centers in assists per 48 minutes.
The need to start Jordan was one of necessity for the Nets, and it began to play out in his first few games as fulltime starter. In his first game starting under Vaughn, Jordan finished with 11 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and three blocks, albeit against the Bulls. Against stiffer competition the following game against the Lakers, Jordan finished with eight points, 12 rebounds and an assist. The Nets won on Spencer Dinwiddie’s game-winner.
Jordan has the experience. It’s the reason why even though Allen has been relegated to a bench role, he still has the opportunity to learn from the best. Jordan has been everywhere Allen will be.
And until Allen reaches a higher peak on his development chart, Jordan will give the Nets the best chance to win, because he has experience making winning plays in winning games. Sometimes, it’s just that simple.