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Lavoy Allen looks like the frontrunner to start at center on opening night for the Philadelphia 76ers, and his coach Doug Collins showered praise on the second-year big man after practice on Friday, according to CSN Philly.
The Sixers are battling through injuries to their front line, including newly acquired Andrew Bynum, and they will need Allen to be at his best. Coach Collins is excited about what the young center is bringing to the table in the preseason, and he continued to do well on Friday:
"Today he got every rebound and you can tell he’s getting in shape," Collins said. "The thing I like about it is he’s moving without the ball and catching it and not hesitating and shooting. Lavoy is starting to get to where we need him to be."
Allen appeared in 41 games for Philadelphia in his rookie season. He was drafted 50th overall by the Sixers last summer, and went on to average 4.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game as a rookie. The 6'9, 255-pound Allen hit on 47 percent of his shots, while getting to the free throw just 14 times.
Philadelphia begins its season against the Denver Nuggets on Halloween night at the Wells Fargo Center.