Jarrett Allen followed up his strong showing against Andre Drummond and the Detroit Pistons with a solid 12-point performance on 5-for-5 shooting against the Chicago Bulls in Brooklyn’s 133-118 win on Friday. The Nets big man also had five boards and two blocks.
Yet, what was most surprising about Allen’s performance was his passing. The Nets big man finished with five assists, coming one short of tying his career-high of six — which he has registered twice in his career. Friday’s game is only the fifth in Allen’s career where he logged five dimes.
But, it was more about one specific pass that Allen made than his overall assist total:
Had to pick the dime up on that pass… https://t.co/A0wCiNvRo1
— Jarrett Allen (@_bigjayy_) February 1, 2020
Needless to say, Allen caught everyone by surprise.
Though, Allen did previously tell Kenny Atkinson he wants to take more risk going forward, which the Nets head coach explained to reporters on Friday:
He told me he wants to — [asked] if I’m OK with taking more risk. So I think that’s part of it and I said ‘Yes, I want you to take more risk because I think that’s how you get better.’ … It was in the context of a different situation, but we need him to take some risk.
While he may not make many more wild passes, it’s clear Allen is trying to find ways to further evolve as a basketball player.