Jarrett Allen gave Cleveland fans a little extra to talk about this weekend, showing up in the Muni Lot on Sunday and getting in on beer die with Browns supporters before the Cavaliers even tip off their season.
The sight of Allen tailgating ahead of the Browns’ 1 p.m. ET game against the Baltimore Ravens made the rounds quickly. Video from the lot spread Sunday, with Bleacher Report noting Allen was out there tailgating and playing the game with fans, while Barstool Sports placed him in the Muni Lot.
It was the latest glimpse of Allen around the city that’s about to welcome the Cavaliers back for another season. Four days after that tailgate scene, Cleveland opens its regular season at the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday at 7 p.m.
ET on ESPN. The matchup will also serve as Philadelphia’s home opener at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Allen had already used media day on Sept. 28 at Rocket Arena to talk about where the Cavaliers stand in the city’s sports landscape. He said part of Cleveland still doubts the team, and he also pointed to the appreciation the group feels in a town with several pro teams.
On the court, the preseason has already given Allen a short tune-up. He posted 6 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in 17 minutes during the Oct. 8 exhibition opener, a 124-113 loss to the Boston Celtics at Rocket Arena. Three days later, he and Evan Mobley each grabbed 7 rebounds in a 119-105 win over the Orlando Magic.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson started James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Mobley and Allen in that game. Cleveland wrapped up its three-game exhibition slate in Orlando on Oct. 13.
This season also begins the first year of the three-year, $90.72 million extension Allen signed Aug. 2, 2024. He is set to make $28 million in 2026-27, followed by $30.24 million in 2027-28 and $32.48 million in the final year, 2028-29.
Allen is heading into his 10th NBA season and his sixth full season with Cleveland. The Brooklyn Nets selected him 22nd overall out of Texas in 2017, and the Cavaliers brought him in during the January 2021 four-team deal that sent Harden from the Houston Rockets to Brooklyn.
Allen said at media day that he and Harden still have more to uncover in their pick-and-roll connection after a limited stretch together last season. He also owns one All-Star selection, earned in 2022.
Last season, Allen averaged 15.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 56 games while shooting 63.8% from the field. In 18 playoff games, he averaged 12.7 points and 7.2 rebounds, and he put up 22.5 points and 13.0 rebounds across Cleveland’s two Game 7s.
The Cavaliers finished 52-30, then beat the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons in seven games before the New York Knicks swept them in the Eastern Conference finals and went on to defeat the San Antonio Spurs for the championship in June.
Cleveland returns home Saturday to host Brooklyn in its opener at Rocket Arena, then welcomes the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
In Other News...
Jarrett Allen Just Put Clevelands Biggest Lineup Question In Focus
Jarrett Allens remarks this week landed in a familiar place for the Cavaliers, where the conversation has long circled back to lineup continuity and how much time the core actually gets to work together. Allen said he and several key teammates barely shared the floor last season, a reality that made it harder for Cleveland to build the kind of rhythm it wants heading into another push in the East.
The encouraging part for the Cavs is that Allen sounded confident the group can be sharper with a steadier run together this year, especially if the roster gets the kind of uninterrupted stretch it lacked before. For a team that has spent plenty of time trying to answer how its best pieces fit in high-leverage moments, that kind of continuity may end up mattering as much as anything else. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylon Tyson Is Forcing A New Coaching Challenge For The Cavs
Jaylon Tyson has made enough of an impression in Cleveland that Kenny Atkinson is already having to manage more than just his on-court development. Entering his third NBA season, Tyson has flashed real upside, including a 39-point game and a Rising Stars appearance, and the Cavaliers are still sorting through the best way to mold that potential into a lasting rotation piece.
The coaching challenge now is less about talent than tone. Atkinson said Tyson responds best to positive coaching, which is a useful note for a young player trying to carve out his place on a veteran-minded team, especially with Cleveland holding a team option on him for the 2027-28 season that must be decided by Oct. 31. For a player still trying to secure his long-term standing, the next stretch could say a lot about how the Cavs plan to handle him moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Reworked Core Faces An Early Contender Test
The Cavaliers spent the offseason reshaping a core that had already proven it could win, coming off a 52-win season and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. The front office also locked in Donovan Mitchell on a four-year, $273 million extension, signaling that Cleveland still sees this group as one built to contend, even with major roster movement around it.
Now the spotlight shifts to how that reworked lineup fits together in real time, with James Harden, Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen slated to open the season together. The talent is obvious, but Clevelands early test will be whether that mix can quickly turn paper strength into the kind of cohesion that carried the Cavs deep last spring. [Read more 🡒]