Cleveland Oh. – Cavs big man Jarrett Allen has been on a tear since coming back from an ankle injury early in the season. Even more specifically, since the injury to Evan Mobley, Allen has had more responsibility on the offensive end, and still handling business on the defensive end. Coach JB Bickerstaff said recently “I’m hard pressed to find guy, a big guy, who is playing better than Jarret Allen. I think we all need to take a serious look at his All-Star accolades because I don’t know many guys, if any, that are playing better than him.”
Allen has stepped up in a big way since the injuries to Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. Over the last 10, with the Cavs sitting at 7-3, Allen is averaging 18.4 points, 12.9 rebounds and 4.2 assist for the Cavs. 7 double doubles in that stretch and shooting 68% from the field, Allen has been a key reason why the Cavs haven’t fallen off the map. There were games where Allen was the focal point of the offense as Donovan Mitchell was out with an illness. But even with Mitchell back, there have been stretches where Allen has been the offensive initiator. The Cavs have utilized more dribble hand offs, which puts Jarrett Allen in the action and forces defenses to go around him. This gives the Cavs shooters plenty of space and they have been capitalizing on the action.
The ball movement with Allen as an initiator has been amazing. It is a reason the Cavs are second to the Indiana Pacers in assists over the last 10. The Pacers boast the leagues leader in assists though in Tyree Haliburton. The Cavs don’t have a player averaging more than 6 assist. It was a complete team effort to get the ball moving and having everyone be a threat. Allen has been at the center of that and looks to continue.
Then there’s the rebounding. Allen has always been a decent rebounder, but here recently he has been dominant. In the third quarter of a Wizards game last week, Allen outrebounded the Wizards team. He has games of 17, 23, 19 rebounds in this stretch. When asked if this is something he has tried to be more mindful of, Allen said “I’m just trying to play with more energy. I’m trying to create more shots for the guys and honestly that’s more assist for me.”
The case to be an All- Star is going to be made for a lot of players this year. We know that teams will get multiple guys in the game and with the starters, it’s generally a popularity contest. While Allen more than likely won’t be the starter, there may not be a better and more productive center in the eastern conference after Joel Embiid, than Allen. Since coaches and the front office will vote on the reserves, there’s a good chance that Allen will get his name called. He should. He has been that good.
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