Ranking Jarrett Allen's superstar blocks of LeBron James, James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis and more
Allen has been denying some of the league's best players all season long
Brooklyn Nets big man Jarrett Allen was pretty solid as a rookie last season, but flew under the radar in an incredible class. This season, though, he's more than made a name for himself. Allen has become a fearsome rim protector, sending away nearly 1.5 shots per game.
More impressively, though, Allen has come up with show-stopping blocks on some of the league's best players. Now about three into the season, he's already rejected LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis, among others. On Wednesday, he added James Harden to the list. As he continues to impress on the defensive end, here's a ranking of Allen's best superstar blocks so far this season.
- Denying "The King"
There's no question that the No. 1 block on this list came just a few days before Christmas when Allen rejected none other than LeBron James. Just a few minutes into the Lakers' trip to Barclays Center, LeBron came barreling down the lane, with his sights set on the rim.
Allen, though, had other ideas, rising up and getting all ball. It was just the ninth time in 1,850 dunk attempts that LeBron had been blocked.
Jarrett Allen PROTECTS THE RIM for the @BrooklynNets!
— NBA (@NBA) December 19, 2018
BKN leads 10-9 early in Q1 on @NBATV. #WeGoHard pic.twitter.com/QH2el6Uljy
2. Rough start for Griffin
For the No. 2 block on Allen's list, we'll have to go all the way back to the preseason. A week or so before opening night, Allen showed he was already in midseason form.
A few minutes into the Nets' game against the Pistons in Detroit, Blake Griffin backed down DeMarre Carroll and easily spun past him towards the baseline. It looked all the world like he was going to throw down another of his patented poster slams, but instead, Allen came over for a powerful rejection.
Jarrett Allen rises for the REJECTION! #NBAPreseason pic.twitter.com/8t0qyXq26N
— NBA (@NBA) October 8, 2018
3. Taking down the reigning MVP
Blocking James Harden without getting a foul called is hard enough. Doing it while Harden is cocking back to throw one down is even more impressive. On Wednesday, Harden was going in as time ran down in the quarter. Allen saw Harden getting ready to yam it home, but he was having none of it.
Harden has been playing out of his mind for the past few months, which only makes this more impressive. At this point, it's clear Allen is storing superstar trophies in his hair.
Jarrett Allen added James Harden to his block list 🚫 pic.twitter.com/8rUcsCewT9
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 17, 2019
4. Giannis meets his match
Coming in at No. 3 on the list, it's Allen's holiday block on MVP frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo. In between Christmas and New Year's, the Nets made a trip to Milwaukee. The game didn't go so well for them, but Allen certainly had a bright moment early on.
In the opening minutes, Giannis used his incredible strides to Gyro-step around the defense. Often times, that ends with a thunderous slam, but on this occasion, Allen sent him away.
The FR🚫
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 29, 2018
✋
The Freak pic.twitter.com/E8GWPyDbKE
4. NO to AD x2
At No.4 on the list, we actually have a double dose of blocks. On Wednesday night, the Pelicans made their way to Brooklyn for their annual trip, and Allen made sure he had a nice welcome present for Anthony Davis.
In the first quarter, Davis tried to drive baseline on the youngster, but Allen would have none of it and sent his shot attempt off the glass.
Jarrett Allen is blocking EVERYONE this season. 😳#WeGoHard pic.twitter.com/QBlh4tkuQR
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 3, 2019
Then, later in the game, Allen swatted another of Davis' attempts off the glass.
Jarrett Allen sends it away for the @BrooklynNets! 🚫#WeGoHard 113#DoItBig 100
— NBA (@NBA) January 3, 2019
💻📱: https://t.co/L3VurkatG8 pic.twitter.com/kkm9jWzrtI
5. Welcome to the league, rook
And finally, last but certainly not least, is one of Allen's best blocks of the season. It wasn't against a superstar, but it was against a top draft pick from this year's class, Kevin Knox.
Knox drove inside and thought he had a lane to the basket, but found out very quickly that the game moves much faster in the NBA than it does in college.
Just Jarrett Allen doing Jarrett Allen things #WeGoHard pic.twitter.com/TWk88Umj7r
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 20, 2018
That Allen already has this many incredible rejections just months into the season shows his prowess as a shot-blocker. And at just 20 years old, he figures to have more than a few more in his future.
















