Rookie seasoned
Hey, how about that 19-year-old NBA rookie playing in New York?
No, not the Knicks’ Frank Ntilikina. The other one, the Nets’ Jarrett Allen.
The 22nd pick in June’s draft, Allen is providing the Nets with the most important element in a rookie season — progress. He’s just getting better with experience. The 6-foot-10 ½, 234-pounder left Texas after one season and is soaking up everything he can from everyone he can. And he appreciates it.
“It’s definitely a different life than all my friends are living,” said Allen, who is averaging 5.3 points, 3.7 rebounds in 16.3 minutes — all numbers that have increased recently. “Any 19-year-old would love to do this. You wake up every day, ‘Would I rather go to class or do this?’ I’m lucky enough to be as talented as I am so I get to do this.”
Yeah, but he is missing the joy of “Elements of 19th Century English Literature.”
It’s not as if Allen would be lost in the classroom. His dad, Leonard, played professionally overseas after being a third-round pick of the Mavericks in 1985. And Allen’s father is a long-time employee of Dell Computers. Like father, like son. There is the basketball torch that was passed. And Jarrett knows computers, builds computers and is a full-fledged gamer. But don’t call him a computer geek.
“I don’t like the word ‘geek,’ ” he said. “I just know a lot about computers. It’s a passion of mine. I’m mainly into building them.”
All while building an NBA résumé.
The Nets, who face the Kings at Barclays Center on Wednesday, see Allen as a pivotal piece. Coach Kenny Atkinson raves about Allen’s defense, athleticism and demeanor.
“We are trying to build him up, build his minutes, build his stamina, build his strength,” Atkinson said. “There’s a plan in place. … We’re building him strategically.
“It’s amazing how mature he is, how serious he is, how focused he is on getting better. There’s a quiet toughness about him. Right now, strength is [an issue]. You see it out there in the finishes and some of the rebounds he’s there and the older guys nudge him out of the way. But that’s going to come. He has all the traits of a guy that’s going to be a really good player.”
Allen missed summer league with a strained right hip flexor, then sat out six games during the regular season with a left foot strain. He still has been fast-tracked and there is one element that endears him to the coaches.
“Quite honestly our defense is better with him on the floor,” Atkinson said. “It’s a small sample size, but the difference with maybe a 6-8 contesting and him going up and contesting a shot, it’s a difference between a make and a miss.”
Allen loves to contest shots. He feels that is part of his NBA DNA.
“I don’t know how they thought but I think I was further along knowing how to play defense,” Allen said. “I’m athletic and I’m a quick learner.”
His top NBA moment so far?
“Probably blocking Carmelo [Anthony]. That’s always going to be a big memory. He’s a talented player, possibly a future Hall of Famer. I watched him growing up,” Allen said. “I love blocking shots — taking points away from the other people. But scoring is always fun to do.”
The Nets think so too. Now with Jahlil Okafor, they have a glut of bigs. But Atkinson isn’t worried. He feels Okafor, at center, and Allen, at the 4, can play together. Allen agrees.
“I’m definitely comfortable,” he said. “The 4 and 5 here are interchangeable.”
And in a sense, that’s how Atkinson sees Allen — as an interchangeable piece, not always as a teenager finding his way. He jokingly suggested Allen use film of being pushed around by the Knicks for weight-room motivation.
“I know it gets lost with the coaches,” Atkinson said of Allen’s age. “Once the game starts, he’s just another player. … Just throw him out and ‘More.’ You rarely have that with a kid that young. And we’ve thrown a lot at him.”