Despite so much uncertainty and an up-and-down stretch in their schedule, one thing has remained consistent for the Cleveland Cavaliers. That is big man Jarrett Allen.
Injuries have kept four of the Cavs' top nine players out of the lineup, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Max Strus and Dean Wade, forcing others to step up. None more so than Allen, who was the backbone for Cleveland on either end of the floor in a 107-104 loss to the Miami Heat. Allen finished the game with 25 points and 20 rebounds, his fifth 20-20 game and third overall since joining the Cavs.
“He’s always been a beast on the boards even switching out to guards,” Darius Garland said. “He just does everything for us. He’s literally our centerpiece. Wherever he goes, we all go. He’s our coach on the floor, especially defensively. When he’s talking, we’re talking. When he’s loud, we’re loud. Everything is just really a reaction from J.A.”
Jarrett Allen's massive Cavs impact
For Allen, who was considered an All-Star snub by his teammates and coaches, this battle with the Heat was just another day in the office. While he set the tone with his stat-stuffing performance, Allen set the standard for the Cavs all game long, continually contributing on either end of the floor. If Miami forced him to switch from protecting the paint to defending in isolation, Allen responded in kind. On offense, meanwhile, he wreaked havoc on the interior, connecting on more baskets (nine) than the rest of the Cavs did combined (seven).
“He's certainly our heart and our soul,” Garland said. “We really appreciate him. I do for sure. I try to tell him this all the time. But he doesn’t even know how much he means to this team, but he means a lot to us.”
Allen, who was sitting at the podium postgame alongside Garland, could only laugh while hearing his point guard say this.
“I know I mean a lot to the team,” Allen said. “I know I have a certain role on this team that I feel I need to come out every night and play my hardest for them out there. . . They might value me more than I know I’m worth, but I just tried to do my job out there.”
That job is for Allen to be who he's always been all season for the Cavs: Consistent. With less than 15 games remaining until the start of the postseason and things so topsy-turvy for Cleveland, having a consistent force every night in Allen is a blessing. It'll be even more important in another upcoming matchup against the Heat or if both teams collide in the first round once the playoffs begin.
There's a ton of momentum coming from Allen heading into the playoffs, so, if this level of play holds, he'll already be a deciding factor. But, with so many players still working their way back to the court and so little time in the regular season remaining, the Cavs may have to lean on Allen even more than they already have to shoulder the load during the first round.
Thankfully, as every game continues to roll along, it's clear that Allen is more than capable of shouldering and carrying the load. It showed against Miami, even with his efforts coming in the wake of a loss. But, when more bodies are available, it'll become even easier for the Cavs to find their winning ways on a more consistent basis, just like Allen.
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