When Tony Allen twisted his ankle the other night against Orlando, it was enough to make any devoted Celtics fan cringe. While Allen isn’t a member of the vaunted Big Three or even a starter, he has nonetheless established himself as a key member of the ten man rotation.

If you’ve been paying attention, you know that Allen has shown a significant improvement in his play thus far this season. What you may not know, however, is that Allen also happens to lead the league right now in one particular category worth noting: converted three point plays (otherwise known as “and ones”) per field goal. According to 82games.com, Allen is presently tied for sixth place in overall three point plays converted with 14 thus far this season. Of note, those ahead of him essentially represent an All-NBA list that includes such high profile and referee favored players as Dwight Howard (the current leader at 29 And 1s), Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Tim Duncan. Allen is certainly the only bench player among the top 20 and when you sift the numbers of And1s in relation to overall shots made, Allen shoots straight to the top of the NBA with a startling 22.6% of his field goals resulting in a three point play. No other player even comes close (which is to say above 15%).

Certainly Allen’s numbers are up from last season, which many considered to be a lost year as a result of the lingering effect from that terrible ACL injury suffered in January of 2007. Most notably, his field goal percentage is up from 43% to 48% while his points per game are up from 6.6 to 8.8 despite a similar level of minutes played. To me, though, the above-noted And1 statistic jumps out as especially reflective of Allen’s renewed physical ability and mental commitment to attacking the basket when the opportunity has arisen. He’s feeling better physically, he’s feeling more confident mentally and as a result he’s returning to the bread and bread and butter of his game: i.e. attacking the baseline whenever he sees daylight on a man-up defender. With Allen on his game, the second unit has served up a well-diversified offensive attack. In essence, Allen is the self-creating slasher alongside Leon Powe as the aggressive low post scorer and Eddie House as the potent threat from beyond the arc. It’s a nice mix and a part of the reason that the second unit has generally fared so well over the first quarter of the season.

As a Celtics fan, regardless of how you feel about Tony Allen (and the debates have certainly been spirited over the years), it would be difficult to deny having an emotional investment in him as a player. After all, this is his fifth year with the team after being selected in the same draft class as Al Jefferson and Delonte West. He has overcome both legal and debilitating physical problems and yet remains a model citizen in the sense that he is a role player who actually knows and embraces his role. Also, he is one of the few leftover players from the bad old days of 18 game losing streaks and seasons ended definitively in April. Along with them, he made it through the rain and earned a ring. And now, with the departure of the security blanket known as James Posey, he has his first opportunity to play a role as a truly vital part of a title winning team. All of the above contributes to the cringe when you see him tumble to the floor clutching his leg. Early reports have Allen coming back to play by the weekend. Good. Let’s hope he returns to both form and long-standing health. Maybe he can even maintain his league lead in that uniquely reflective stat known as And1s per field goal.