Jarrett Allen is blocking the NBA’s best finishers
By Ian Levy
Jarrett Allen has been responsible for some eye-popping blocks this season, including several on some of the very best dunkers in the league.
This has been a breakout season for Jarrett Allen, the second-year center for the Brooklyn Nets. Anchoring the team’s interior efforts at both ends of the floor, Allen is averaging 15.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 blocks per 36 minutes.
It is Allen’s rim protection that has garnered the most attention this season. His block totals aren’t absurdly high but opponents are shooting just 55.6 percent on shots inside of six feet when Allen is the nearest defender, about the same as Rudy Gobert’s mark this season. And when he is outright blocking the shot, more often than not, it’s been the kind of highlight to lead SportsCenter.
There was, of course, when he joined the ultra-exclusive club of players who had blocked LeBron James on a dunk attempt.
Or, a few nights earlier, when he turned away John Collins, who is basically a human pogo stick.
Or, last night, when he swallowed up Anthony Davis on the baseline, one of two blocks he had on Davis in the game.
Of course, if you’re going to embarrass one MVP candidate, you may as well get them all, right? Just a few nights ago he checked Giannis Antetokounmpo off his list.
And, the most visually striking of the set, was his October rejection of Blake Griffin.
Griffin basically established his NBA bona fides with the dunking destruction of Timofey Mozgov back in 2010. Those dunks were so iconic that getting yammed on came to be known as “getting Mozgov’d.”
With the way Allen is swallowing up dunks from some of the NBA’s best, it be time to start calling having a dunk blocked, “getting Allen’d.”