Player Preview: Lavoy Allen, Representing the Pacers
By Jared Wade
Lavoy Allen is still in the NBA. That’s more than most expected from the Temple University product, who was taken late in the second round of the 2011 NBA draft by the local Philadelphia 76ers.
With the Indiana Pacers rotation currently a chaotic mess, Allen might have the chance to be more than an bench staple. He could play some meaningful minutes this year. David West is injured and old. Luis Scola is old and maybe not good anymore.
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Frank Vogel might have no other choice than to play Allen, who saw just 112 minutes on the court last year after coming over midseason in the trade that swapped Danny Granger for Evan Turner.
Personally, I think Allen can perform. He won’t impress, but he is capable of doing what Vogel asks of him.
In a league full of upside and young potential, such values are rarely praised. I get why. But in a single game, doing your job is what coaches want most from the middling talents around the league. Just get in the game and do what you’re supposed to do, without freelancing or blowing assignments. It’s why players like Sam Young can get minutes to the outrage of fans who want to watch the better, but more erratic, players like JaVale McGee to start.
Lavoy Allen is probably at the good place in his career to fill the role of Job Doer if he is called upon this year.
He didn’t have a deal for 2014-15 with the Pacers until after summer league. Yet rather than hunt around the league for somewhere else he might be able to fit, he went through the offseason program with the Pacers and earned himself another contract. Maybe he had no better options, but how he went about it sounds like the behavior of a guy ready to put in work even if there is no glory at the end.
This all fits with Allen’s overall personality.
His Twitter handle used to be @Mr_5hundred, a nod to his ESPN NBA Rank of 500 — out of 500 NBA players — a few years ago. He took it in stride and has even considered it a badge of honor, something more memorable than being #473. (Allen has since changed his Twitter name to @ChefVOYardee, which we can all agree is beautiful.)
Don’t expect much excellence from Mr. 500 this year. And if the Pacers do need to use him a lot, it is going to be an even longer season than we already think it will be.
But right now, Lavoy Allen is a walking epitome of the state of the Indiana Pacers. He isn’t bad enough to be disastrous nor is he good enough for anyone to want to watch him play. He is just a mediocre performer here to play professional basketball.
– Jared Wade (follow @8pts9secs)
Relevant GIF
If you plan to follow the 2014-15 Indiana Pacers, you’ll need a sense of humor. Laugh so you don’t cry. And what’s funnier than Archer? Nothing. Nothing is the answer.
Key 2013-14 Stats
- 4.7 points per game
- 4.8 rebounds per game
- 45.0 eFG%
- 14.6% usage rate
- 11.7% offensive rebound rate
One Key Question
Can Lavoy Allen crack the rotation?
The Situation: Lavoy Allen played productive minutes in Philadelphia and has been solid in limited opportunities for the Pacers. However, he rarely gets meaningful minutes. The reason? He’s stuck behind West, Hibbert,, Scola, and Mahinmi in the pecking order, and last year there was no room for a fifth player in the big-man rotation.
Best-case Scenario: The four-man bigs rotation becomes a five-man rotation. Allen’s combination of defensive versatility and moderate offensive firepower make him an intriguing player who will earn minutes. He’s not the shooter that West and Scola are, and he’s not the defender that Hibbert and Mahinmi are, but he brings a nice blend of both and mops up enough minutes for the older guys to see some extended rest at times.
Worst-case Scenario: Vogel sticks with the guys he knows, and the Pacers don’t find out what they truly have in Allen before his contract expires.
Prediction: Allen slowly eats into the minutes Scola and Mahinmi would normally play, and becomes a fixture at the backup four by year’s end, replacing the outgoing Scola and providing a cheaper, younger alternative to re-sign.
– William Furr (follow @Will_Furr)
How He Scores
The above spiderweb chart shows, via Synergy Sports, what types of possessions lead to his points in 2013-14. (created by Tim Donahue, follow
)
Lavoy Allen only scored 40 points for the Indiana Pacers last season, so most of this comes from his output in Philly (263 points). That said, the chart above matches up with my view of him: a good offensive rebounder who can get some buckets in trash situations, by getting himself too open spots, and through the occasional post up in favorable matchups.
His 2013-14 shot chart, via Nylon Calculus
Lavoy Allen enjoyed the middle of the court last season. He was a north/south guy, not fit for the east/west areas of the floor. He only took 34 shots in Indiana, though, so this is more pretty dots than anything predictive when it comes to his Pacers output. Obviously, the bad percentage around the rim is troubling, and probably has something to do with his physical limitations. But he was significantly more average in the paint in 2012-13 (and well above average the year before that), so it probably isn’t anything to be worried about.