In the final round of fan voting, Donovan Mitchell was the only Cleveland Cavaliers player to crack the top ten for NBA All-Star 2024. Sure, the vote doesn't carry much weight, considering that it helps name All-Star starters, and Mitchell is in fourth place behind Damian Lillard, Trae Young and Tyrese Haliburton. While Mitchell has been great–guiding the Cavs to a 12-3 record and a stellar eight-game winning streak without Darius Garland (jaw) and Evan Mobley (knee)–not seeing Jarrett Allen also in the Top 10 is a bit of a surprise.
In this 15-game stretch without Garland and Mobley, Allen has been just as dominant as Mitchell. Allen has averaged 17.3 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 blocks in only 31.8 minutes per game. Cleveland's big man also set the franchise record for most consecutive double-doubles in franchise history with 12 in the Cavs' 126-99 victory over the Orlando Magic. While that streak might seem miniscule in the grand scheme of things, it's instead a crystallization of how much Allen has stepped up for Cleveland in the wake of Garland and Mobley's injuries.
Without Allen, there's a good chance the Cavs aren't riding high right now. Sure, Mitchell is carrying the load every night offensively, tying a career-best in assists with 13 dimes against Orlando, which he had set just a few games ago against the Atlanta Hawks. But Mitchell doesn't quite possess the two-way capabilities Allen does, with Cleveland's gentle giant showing his strength and hustle on either end of the floor. The perfect instance of Allen's two-way hustle is how he handled Orlando forward Franz Wagner in isolation. Instead of shying away and leaning on his greater strength as a rim-protecting anchor, Allen embraced the challenge against Wagner, resulting in one of the best plays from the Cavs' dominant win.
Jarrett Allen's All-Star Case
Again, while it seems simple enough for Jarrett Allen to have moments like these, it feels like it's been never-ending for Cleveland's big man. He has continually stood up and surpassed any expectation of him every night for the Cavs, with this win over the Magic being the latest.
Again, Allen not cracking the Top 10 ten in All-Star frontcourt voting for the Eastern Conference seems absurd, especially considering all this context. Allen may not be on the same level of dominance as Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo or Jayson Tatum. But it's foolhardy on the NBA's part that big men are lumped in with forwards, and Allen is more than surpassing everyone else outside the top three.
So, while Allen won't be named a starter for the Eastern Conference when All-Star weekend takes over Indianapolis, he deserves to join Mitchell in representing Cleveland as a reserve. If he doesn't, it's a disservice on behalf of NBA coaches not to recognize how vital Allen has been to the Cavs every night, especially when they've been without Garland and Mobley.
This masterclass performance against the Magic is another instance of Allen's vitality to Cleveland's lifeblood, carrying them on either end of the floor most nights. All-Star reserves for 2024 are announced on February 1 on TNT so, hopefully, there isn't much more waiting to figure out whether or not people are noticing Allen's greatness.
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