Ever since the Brooklyn Nets signed DeAndre Jordan last year, people around the NBA started wondering whether they were going to trade away Jarrett Allen or if Jordan was going to serve as his mentor.
Fast-forward to today and both are having a bit of a timeshare at the center position, but the rumors claim that Jordan wasn't happy with his role as a reserve last season and that's the reason why he's the starter right now.
It's not a secret that the reason why DeAndre Jordan signed with the Nets in the first place is that he's close friends with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. In fact, they even took a paycut to be able to lure him in.
Steve Nash Knows There Could Be Drama Between DeAndre Jordan And Jarrett Allen
And, considering that Irving and Durant's opinions have a lot of weight in the locker room - like it happened with Kenny Atkinson's firing - new coach Steve Nash knows that he must find a way for both to coexist:
“A bit of everything. He definitely has that relationship with Ky and Kevin. He has that experience as the older player. Caris (LeVert) and JA also have good chemistry. So, it’s a bit of everything. It’s just not something I’m belaboring. Jarrett’s going to play a lot. I love him on the floor. I want to be very careful not to make it like a mini-drama because it’s not," Nash told The New York Post.
“They both play. JA has been outstanding and will play plenty, if not the bulk of the minutes, but for right now, he’s just playing those minutes from the second unit. He closed the game against Atlanta (on Wednesday). I just don’t want it to become some sort of thing where we’re pitting our own guys against each other because I think the group has got a pretty good vibe right now," he concluded.
Jarrett Allen is younger and has a higher upside than DeAndre Jordan right now. Also, he's making the most of his minutes right now with averages of 9.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game on 63% shooting and 22.9 minutes per game.
DeAndre Jordan, on the other hand, is averaging roughly 4.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 19.0 minutes per game and has looked far from the top-notch rim protector he was in his prime.
