Jarrett Allen Reveals Mindset on NBA vs. Staying at Texas
Texas Basketball freshman Jarrett Allen has revealed an interesting mindset for next season.
Following Texas’ loss against Baylor on Saturday to end the regular season, Jarrett Allen said he is “keeping his options open” about his basketball future. Allen qualified that he “really hasn’t made a decision right now.” (Quoted at 247Sports.com)
Usually, a player will say something along the lines of he’s committed to his team at the moment and that’s all he’s thinking about. But, Allen is not your typical player.
Allen said he will obviously wait until after the season is officially over to talk to head coach Shaka Smart about whether to stay at Texas or go to the NBA.
But, Texas is only guaranteed one more game this season – Wednesday night against Texas Tech in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament.
If Texas does not win that game, it could be the abrupt end of a promising career at Texas.
But, Allen is hoping for a miraculous run to keep his college career going.
“It’s open. You see people making miracle games happen, so we can be that miracle team and take some games,” Allen optimistically said when asked about the Longhorns’ status heading into the Big 12 tournament. (Quoted at TexasSports.com)
Jarrett Allen Sensational, But Inconsistent
Jarrett Allen is a projected mid-first round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. But, as ESPN commentator Fran Fraschilla has repeatedly said during Big 12 game broadcasts, Allen might sit out his first NBA season if he comes out early in order to learn next-level basketball.
Allen has not developed into a consistent, take-over-the-game big man that Horns fans have been waiting for.
The model was right across from him twice this season – Baylor big man Johnathan Motley. Motley went for 32 points and 20 rebounds in Waco in their first meeting and 17 points and 17 rebounds Saturday in Austin.
Allen is capable of putting up those kinds of numbers on a nightly basis, but we haven’t seen that consistency from game to game or even half to half.
Against Baylor on Saturday, Allen dominated the first half with 16 points and 5 rebounds. But, he disappeared in the second half, only scoring 4 points.
Part of that is Texas’ season-long issue with guard play not feeding the rock to the big men. Which leads to why Horns fans want to see Allen stay in Austin…
Jarrett Allen and Matt Coleman?!
Jarrett Allen could turn into a Top 5 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft if he returns to Texas. Why? The presence of incoming freshman PG Matt Coleman.
Coleman has been tasked with leading the Longhorns basketball team next year after the Horns struggled to develop a PG this season.
The combination of sophomore Allen and a top-rated, prolific PG running the show would be lethal.
And, it would give Shaka Smart’s staff an extra off-season to work with Allen on developing his skills so that he can become the best interior player in the Big 12.
We already saw Allen smash the Dunk of the Year his freshman year. He followed that up with an epic blocked shot Saturday against Baylor. How about winning some more games next season?
That will require a shift from what we think will happen. Based on what Allen said post-game Saturday, it sounds like he is leaning toward the NBA.
Next: Why UT Basketball Will Be National Title Contender In Two Years
But, is the opportunity to play with Matt Coleman, chase a Big 12 Title, and turn into a top NBA Draft pick next year worth returning to Austin for? We might find out pretty soon – unless Texas pulls off a miracle run through the Big 12 tournament.