Jarrett Allen sees Cleveland’s new wing additions as more than depth pieces. He sees them as the kind of defenders who can change the shape of the floor for the Cavaliers.
At media day Monday at Rocket Arena, Allen pointed to Mario Hezonja and Peyton Watson as players who should ease the burden on Evan Mobley and himself by helping the Cavs earlier and higher up the court.
“It’s huge. Mario, I think he weighs more than me.
It’s incredible how strong he is, how much he can push around other people on the court, how much he can pass the ball and do all that,” Allen said. “But especially on defense, him and Peyton are going to be crucial.”
Allen said the goal is to keep opponents from getting comfortable anywhere near the lane.
“Instead of being able to funnel everybody to Evan and I, we’re going to be able to move our feet on the perimeter and bump guys early to [deter them] from coming into the paint,” Allen continued.
Hezonja joined Cleveland on July 31 with a one-year veteran minimum deal after four seasons with Real Madrid. The 31-year-old forward, listed at 6-foot-9, was the Liga ACB MVP last season and led all scorers at the EuroLeague Final Four in Athens in May with 44 points across two games. Real Madrid lost the final to Olympiacos, 92-85.
Hezonja’s NBA path started when Orlando took him fifth overall in 2015. He spent five NBA seasons split between Orlando, New York and Portland before heading to Europe after the 2019-20 season. His deal with Cleveland is worth $2.85 million, his agent told ESPN.
Watson arrived three weeks later in a five-team sign-and-trade from Denver. The 24-year-old was drafted 30th overall by the Nuggets in 2022, signed a four-year, $88 million contract, and shot 41.1% from 3-point range for Denver last season.
Allen doesn’t expect the value of those additions to show up only in steals, blocks or any other box-score line. He thinks the bigger effect is psychological.
“I think it’s going to be huge. Whenever you can add a huge defensive player that makes an impact like that to Evan and I, I think that goes a long way,” Allen explained. “Not even actually getting stats, but just mentally deterring players from coming in to paint.”
That sort of help matters even more with Mobley coming off the league’s top defensive award for 2024-25. Cleveland finished last season allowing 115.1 points per 100 possessions, 15th in the league, according to StatMuse.
Allen and Mobley have been part of the same core since Mobley’s rookie season in 2021-22, but the rest of the group has shifted. Dean Wade left for Philadelphia, Max Strus went to the Clippers in the Watson trade, and Keon Ellis departed in free agency. Tre Mann came in through an August trade with the Charlotte Hornets.
For Allen, the benefit of having the summer together has already started to show. He said the Cavaliers have used that time to build comfort and chemistry before the season begins.
“Any experience and time that we get to be able to play together, to be able to learn each other’s traits and how we like to play on the court, or me and the dunker and him handling the ball up top, that’s incredible for how we’re going to go into the season,” Allen said. “More time together equals more success, in my book.”
He also pointed to the off-court connection inside the locker room and beyond it.
“Number one, it’s just a good group of guys. It’s the number one thing in this league.
If you’re willing to play for each other, you’re willing to sacrifice even more,” Allen said. “And I think having a great group of guys off the court, hanging out together, making sure that everybody’s good, checking up on each other, the team group chat, that goes such a long way that nothing on the court can add up to.”
Donovan Mitchell and James Harden described the same offseason on Monday. Harden mentioned movies, bowling, a high school football game and a Cleveland Browns game among the outings.
Allen is heading into his 10th NBA season. He averaged a career-high 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in 2023-24, and his 42 double-doubles that season were the most by a Cavalier since LeBron James had 52 in 2017-18, according to ESPN.
Drafted 22nd overall by Brooklyn in 2017 out of Texas, Allen remains one of the anchors of Cleveland’s front line. The Cavaliers’ 21-player training camp roster travels to Spain on Tuesday, and the preseason begins Oct. 8 when the Boston Celtics visit Cleveland.
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