Don’t look now, but the Cleveland Cavaliers may have a Jarrett Allen issue - and the strangest part is that they don’t seem to realize it.
Allen has been steady from the jump this season. As the team’s longest-tenured player entering the year, he’s kept producing at a high level, and the numbers back it up: 15 points, nine rebounds and just under two blocks per game, while shooting 63% from the field. He’s even knocked down a pair of threes, all while logging only 27 minutes a night.
That’s where the problem starts.
If Allen is playing this well, why isn’t he on the floor more? In Cleveland’s last two losses, he finished at plus-5 and plus-11, and the Cavaliers were overwhelmed when he sat. The pattern keeps showing up: the team looks far better with him than without him, but the minutes still aren’t there.
Allen has done whatever the Cavs have asked of him. He’s worked on the outside shot.
He’s even served as an occasional lob thrower for Evan Mobley. He’s been willing to adapt, but that flexibility still hasn’t translated into the kind of usage his play should demand.
The matchup against Isaiah Hartenstein raised the question even more sharply. Why wouldn’t Kenny Atkinson lean on someone he has coached on two different teams? Hartenstein was beating Evan Mobley on the glass, and Allen’s absence from the floor became impossible to ignore.
The same story showed up against Atlanta. Onyeka Okongwu played like an All-Star, Allen sat for 18 minutes, and Cleveland was minus-8 in that stretch.
Against Oklahoma City, the Cavs were minus-16 with Allen off the floor. In their only blowout win of the season so far, he was dominant against Milwaukee.
Cleveland’s frontcourt duo were a force in Milwaukee!EVAN MOBLEY: 27 PTS, 3 3PM, 11-16 FGMJARRETT ALLEN: 25 PTS, 11 REB, 12-16 FGM@cavs move to 4-2 on the season 😤 pic.twitter.com/RPP2O2qkxg
That’s the heart of it: Allen keeps helping, but he isn’t being treated like the player he is. He doesn’t always get enough credit when the Cavs win, and he can end up carrying blame when they lose, even though the bigger issue is how little he’s used in the moments that matter.
Allen has already shown he can be an All-Star-caliber big. He made the All-Star team in his first full season in Cleveland, and he remains one of the league’s best lob finishers and shot-blockers. One play can change a game when he’s involved.
The Cavs need to recognize that. If they’re not closing with Allen on the floor, they’re not maximizing what they have.
And the record says plenty: Cleveland is 66-25 all-time when Allen scores 20 or more points. That’s the story.
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Tyrese Proctor Just Got Another Real Chance With Cleveland
Tyrese Proctor is getting another look in Clevelands starting five, and this one comes with a little more weight attached. The Cavaliers will open against Oklahoma City with Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, James Harden, Donovan Mitchell and Proctor, giving the young guard a chance to settle into a bigger role while the team continues to sort through its rotation.
Meleek Thomas is sliding back to the bench after starting Monday, a reminder that the Cavaliers are still experimenting with combinations as they navigate injuries. Peyton Watson, Jaylon Tyson and Nae'Qwan Tomlin remain out, so the margin for lineup stability is still thin, and every chance like this matters for a player trying to carve out a place in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Isaiah Mobleys Next Career Move Will Catch Cavs Fans Attention
Isaiah Mobleys next stop will be in Spain, where Basquet Manresa announced the former Cavaliers draft pick has signed with the club. For Cleveland fans, it is another reminder of how quickly the back end of an NBA roster can turn into a global career path, especially for players who have already spent time overseas after their first run through the league.
Mobley was selected by Cleveland in the 2022 draft and has since kept his career moving through stops in Turkey and Israel before this latest move. His name sits in a broader wave of familiar NBA players landing on the European market, with Killian Hayes close to Maccabi Tel Aviv and Josh Hart drawing attention for a possible future role with Napoli Basket, while the league also continues to answer questions from U.S. senators about its partnership with Rwanda. [Read more 🡒]
Jarrett Allen Injury Puts Another Cavaliers Problem Back In Focus
Jarrett Allens night against the Oklahoma City Thunder ended early, and it put another familiar Cavaliers concern back in the spotlight. The center is doubtful to return because of a right knee injury that has been an issue since last season, leaving Cleveland to manage yet another frontcourt problem while other injuries already have the roster stretched thin.
Allen departed after the first quarter, having missed his only shot and collected one rebound before heading to the locker room. For a Cavaliers team trying to keep its rotation intact, the bigger worry is not just losing a key interior presence for one game, but the possibility that a lingering issue is resurfacing at an inconvenient time. [Read more 🡒]