Cleveland Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen flat-out dominated the Washington Wizards on the interior Friday night.
Up-and-comer Alexandre Sarr and the Wizards frontcourt had no answers for his will on the glass, as Allen corralled 14 rebounds, eight of which were offensive boards that provided Cleveland with second chances in a 148-114 drubbing by the wine and gold.
He was diving to the rim in pick-and-roll, dunking on everybody, passing to his guys, and getting on the floor for loose balls. Allen scored 16 points, dished out three dimes, stole it away twice, and rejected a Sarr paint attempt emphatically on a team-high plus-27 in the stat sheet.
“He's kind of the player that swings how we play,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said in his postgame press conference after the 148-114 rout. “When he's going really well, we're unstoppable, quite honestly. And when he's not, we're beatable. The guys know it. You can ask the players, ‘What player determines our ceiling?' He's probably the guy they'd answer… There's swing votes and swing players. He kind of puts it to one side or the other.”
Atkinson emphasized that he and the Cavs must ensure Allen continues to receive touches, as it activates him.
“Honestly, I was just having fun out there,” Allen told FanDuel Sports Network Ohio's Serena Winters. “These are one of those games, being with my teammates, everybody's spirits are high. We're going into a tough stretch, and you want to start it off strong. So just all of that combined helped me come out here strong.”
On Halloween, Allen missed his first game since the 2024 NBA Playoffs due to a broken left ring finger. He had a goal of playing every single contest the year after that postseason, and did so with 91 appearances.
Over the summer, Atkinson spoke with Allen about scaling back that number to ensure his freshness during the most critical stretch of the season. Unfortunate luck has led to that happening on its own, but Allen's willingness to play through pain and show up has earned him even greater respect and the admiration of his teammates.
“He is our iron man on this team,” Darius Garland said on Wednesday. “JA is tough. So, we let the media do what they do. We go out here and play 48 minutes of basketball and try to put our best foot forward.”
“Before he got hurt, two years ago, he was probably our best player against a very, very physical Orlando team,” Sam Merrill added. ‘Like, he was dominating that series. Anyone can find what they want to find, but I would say that's not the guy you want to question. Like, he's a tough guy, and he's up for the challenge. I mean, he's literally got a broken finger, and he's just out there playing.”
Allen is already back from a brief stint on the sidelines because both he and the Cavs decided to let the finger heal naturally. He's choosing this route because the medical staff told him a procedure wasn't necessary if he believes he can grind it out.
“I definitely could feel it on some plays where the ball was coming at me and I had to catch it with my left hand,” Allen said. “Any type of large hit to my left hand is definitely going to take me out for a second, but it wasn't too, too bad. Just trying to figure out a way to work around it, a way to make sure that I'm not putting it in a vulnerable situation and play through it.”
Donovan Mitchell is tired of Cavs teammate Jarrett Allen's critics
Feeling refreshed, Allen dominated the Philadelphia 76ers in his last game, returning from a brief stint on the sidelines. He recorded 24 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, three blocks, and an assist. Again, Allen topped the Cavs' box score with a plus-24.
That evening, All-Star Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell couldn't help but address the misguided local narrative surrounding the 27-year-old center at the podium. Once Cleveland.com's Ethan Sands gave him the open floor, Spida went on a rant — ready and waiting.
“I'd seen somebody, a Cavs fan, tweet that they were mad, as if it was selfish of JA to not get surgery. And I'm like, this is the same guy y'all got mad at for sitting out 'cause he pierced his rib, right,” Mitchell said. “This dude goes to work every day. He gives us his all every night. He played all 82 through all injuries last year, [they] had to force his ass to sit out the past two games, and then [he] has a night like [Wednesday] against two tough bigs. He's phenomenal. He doesn't get enough credit, the credit that he deserves.
“The world focuses on his quote from the Knicks series, and he doesn't care, but that shouldn't be. Like, this dude is really important to what we do. To see him have nights like [Wednesday] is just big time, and I hate the fact that he gets crap for that. This man, he's grown each and every year that I've been here. He's a joy to play with, joy to be around. He's a hell of a player, hell of a person.”
Allen has come back with a vengeance in his first pair of contests back on the floor, looking like his usual self as a rim protector and in the paint.
“I go to work. I feel like this is my job to be out there for my teammates,” Allen said. “My finger, it hurt pretty bad, but it didn't hurt bad enough where I feel like I couldn't contribute. And it honestly feels a little weird taking games off and not being out there, so I just gave what I had.
“Honestly, if my finger was hurting bad enough where I couldn't contribute, I would have sat out. But I have enough in me to go out there and play.”
