Jarrett Allen continues to shine as the Brooklyn Nets provide the young center with more opportunities, while Myles Turner struggles to stay on the court for the Indiana Pacers. Here’s an update on how Allen and Turner have done in the
NBA recently:

Jarrett Allen, Brooklyn Nets

Although the Nets managed a 1–2 record in the last week, Allen continued to put up impressive numbers. Allen averaged 16.7 points and eight rebounds over the span of the week.

Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson continued to increase Allen’s usage rate, leading to more plays designed solely for the former Longhorn big man. Allen had a usage rate of 22.9 percent in the win against the Philadelphia 76ers last Wednesday. He scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against All-Star center Joel Embiid. Allen continued to improve his range, scoring four of his points from 12 feet or
beyond. But Allen also tallied four turnovers.

Allen followed his performance against the 76ers with a season-high 20 points and five rebounds in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Allen, who also had a season-high 26.2 percent usage rate, scored the first six points for the Nets. He continued to demonstrate a proficiency with the pick and roll, scoring 15 of his 20 points involving a ball screen.

Allen should continue to have more of these types of games as the season progresses. The competition for minutes at his position is low, with both Timofey Mozgov and Jahlil Okafor struggling to play consistently on both ends of the floor the way Allen has. Although he didn’t make Team USA for the Rising Stars Game during All-Star weekend, Allen should manage a spot on the All-Rookie team if he keeps up this level of production.

Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers

Turner returned to the Pacers’ lineup on Jan. 27, but now the third-year pro finds himself suffering from a sprained right knee. Turner has already battled a litany of injuries this season, including a sore elbow, sore thigh, sore calf, another sore right knee, tweaked ankle and sore neck. Turner has missed 16 games in total after missing only one game all of
last season.

Turner had played well for the small stretch that he returned for, averaging 12 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in the five-game span. Turner’s ability to shoot threes makes him hard to defend since it allows the Pacers to space the floor. Although he missed the previous nine games, Turner was still able to hit six-of-13 from three.

But Turner struggled against the 76ers on
Saturday. He missed all five of his shots, committed three fouls, grabbed only three rebounds and played for just 15 minutes. Reports indicated that the bad play could be attributed to Turner’s soreness in his knee. The former Texas forward could use some much-needed rest during the approaching All-Star break.