Jarrett Allen was originally a late first-round pick by the Nets in 2017. Nearly a decade later, a new re-draft has the former Brooklyn center making a massive 14-spot jump.
Jarrett Allen is getting a pretty significant upgrade in a 2017 NBA re-draft.
The former Brooklyn Nets center was originally selected 22nd overall by Brooklyn in the 2017 NBA Draft. Nearly a decade later, Allen is being viewed in a much different light, with a recent re-draft moving him all the way up to No. 8.
That is a 14-spot jump from where Allen actually came off the board.
Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report recently revisited the 2017 NBA Draft ahead of the class entering its 10th professional season, looking at where each player would be selected with the benefit of hindsight.
Allen lands at No. 8 with the New York Knicks, who originally selected Frank Ntilikina with that pick.
It is hard to argue that Allen hasn't earned the jump.
Allen was never viewed as one of the flashy prospects coming out of Texas, but he has steadily developed into one of the NBA's most reliable centers. He has become an excellent rebounder and rim protector while also establishing himself as an efficient scorer around the basket.
According to Hughes, Allen has more than 200 additional blocks compared to any other player from the 2017 draft class. He also ranks second in total rebounds behind Bam Adebayo, despite playing more than 2,000 fewer career minutes.
Allen has also made an All-Star team and finished in the top 12 of Defensive Player of the Year voting three times.
That kind of production makes his jump from No. 22 to No. 8 pretty easy to understand.
The Nets originally selected Allen at No. 22, making him one of the better value picks from the entire class. Brooklyn eventually traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of the James Harden deal in January 2021, but Allen has continued to thrive in Cleveland.
Allen isn't the only Nets-related player who appears in the re-draft.
Thomas Bryant, who was originally selected No. 42 overall, moves up to No. 22, taking the spot where Brooklyn originally selected Allen. Bryant had his best stretch early in his career, averaging 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game during his second NBA season.
The Nets also appear again at No. 27, where Frank Ntilikina is selected after originally going eighth overall to New York.
Ntilikina never developed into the two-way guard many expected when he entered the league, although his defense allowed him to stick around the NBA for several seasons.
Still, Allen's jump is easily the biggest Nets takeaway from the re-draft.
Going from No. 22 to No. 8 is a massive difference, especially considering Allen was never viewed as a potential top-10 pick when he entered the league.
For Brooklyn, it is another example of the value the organization found late in the first round nearly a decade ago.
Allen may not have been a highly touted lottery pick in 2017, but nearly 10 years of NBA basketball later, his career has made a pretty strong case that he should have been selected much earlier.
