After a flat-out unacceptable performance in the Cleveland Cavaliers' season opener, Jarrett Allen let his game respond for him on Friday in familiar territory at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“I'm used to the lights at the Barclays Center,” Allen joked after the Cavs' 131-124 win over the Brooklyn Nets. “I played here for three years. It's the first place that drafted me. I have a lot of good memories with the staff, the people around the building, and just playing on the court in front of Brooklyn. It's always special to come back here.”
Allen feasted in the victory, the Cavs' first of the 2025-26 campaign. He scored 22 points, nabbed seven rebounds, recorded four assists, got two steals, and blocked a shot.
Cleveland's big man told ClutchPoints before the media scrum that he wanted to “have a good showing” from the jump with high intensity and energy. Watching his body language in the opening moments, there was a demand for the ball, and he got those touches that didn't come on Wednesday.
“His teammates got the message,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said postgame. “Like, get this dude the ball. Led the league in field goal percentage. We give him the ball, he's a happier dude, and he plays harder. And I thought he was the real difference maker. He likes coming back here and showing these guys who he is.”
Allen caught and made 12 passes each in his 28 minutes of action against the New York Knicks, according to NBA.com. In the team's follow-up contest, Cleveland fed Allen 28 times, while he passed the ball to his guys 22 times. That more than doubled his involvement.
“Just get into the rhythm of it,” Allen added. “Being able to share the ball with my teammates, pass to Craig [Porter Jr.] and Sam [Merrill] on the perimeter, and just try to get a feel for the game. I mean, we're all basketball players. Everybody wants to touch the ball at the end of the day. Everybody wants to be the hero of the game. And it helps everybody on the defensive end. When you're scoring, everybody runs back. It helps the defense get set and helps us be more aggressive.”
Donovan Mitchell felt Allen's dominance was the reason Cleveland held a lead for as long as it did throughout the game.
“I think we give J.A. a hard time, and we laugh and joke, but he's consistent,” Mitchell said. “One thing I know about J.A., if he doesn't have a night before, he's going to come back and respond. He didn't need us to say anything. He was going to do it himself. But as much as he didn't have a good game, we didn't put him in spots.
“That starts with me. I said it to [Cavs sideline reporter] Serena [Winters], in order for any big to get going, you’ve got to get him involved. If we don't do that, then… I'm not saying it's okay for him to not necessarily be as active, but that's just how it works with all bigs. I’ve got to recognize that.”
Merrill acknowledged Atkinson's plea to feed the big man. He said Allen played great and in a way Cleveland is used to, expecting to see more nights like that.
“I tell him, he's capable of just completely taking over a game,” Merrill said. “It's different than like Donovan or DG [Darius Garland] or whatever, but he's completely capable of that, and he did that [Friday]. We know what J.A. is, but we've got to find a way to keep him involved. The other night, we just didn't find him. So we've got to continue to find a way because he can dominate a game without having the ball, whether it's on the defensive end or the boards or whatever. But we've got to reward him for that.
“Pick and roll,” Allen added. “That's what I'm predicated on. That's what I came into this league doing, and what I'll probably go out of this league doing.”
Jarrett Allen takes it to the cup with authority
The defining moment of Allen's night was a straight, beeline drive from the top of the perimeter all the way to the rim that he capped with a leaping finish over seemingly every Brooklyn body in his way.
“He gave me a step, and I know my quickness is pretty fast compared to a lot of bigs in this league, and I just took advantage of it,” Allen said.
“I was at half court. I was ready to come off a Zoom action or something,” Mitchell recalled. “He just took it himself. He went up there, and it's like he went and then went up again. He got propelled up there. He does things sometimes, and I'm just like… I don't know how. I don't know how he does it. But that was incredible.”
Merrill called the moment “insane,” surmising that Allen wanted to “send a message.”
Allen wrestled with Nic Claxton all evening long, a well-known foe he's matched up against multiple times. It wasn't even a fair fight. He moved him out of the paint on box outs and sealed him away to give Cleveland drivers space to attack. Allen spent a game-high 6:05 guarding Claxton, who had only one bucket on four attempts in that duel. Conversely, Allen scored twice on both Claxton and Day'Ron Sharpe.
In the second half, Allen began using his passing chops from the high post to find Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, and perimeter shooters primed for the next move beyond the arc.
“We have two bigs, Evan [Mobley] and I, that are able to crash the glass, bring gravity to the rim,” Allen said. “And we have great shooters like Sam and Craig [Porter Jr.] on the outside to be able to knock down shots.”
When things faltered, with less than two minutes to go in regulation, Allen came up with a huge offensive board, chased down a loose ball, and drew a foul as he crashed into Atkinson. It'd be the most important of his seven rebounds.
“I would say it's a little bit of just a hustle thing,” Allen said. “It's the beginning of the season. Everybody's crashing. Teams are being more aggressive as well at this time, and that's just where the league is. Five guys are crashing. There's a lot more threes in this league, so a lot of balls are going to be long [off the rim on misses]. It's just a mix of everything.”
Allen rewarded his own work with two clutch free throws to make it a six-point game, and then, Cleveland was able to close things out.
That was the version of Allen that the Cavs can depend on. With the proof in the pudding, he and his teammates must work together consistently. It can't just be a one-off.
“My challenge to him is, ‘Hey, there may be games where they take you out of it, but you still got to find a way to be effective,” Mitchell said. “So it's a give and take, but it starts with me being able to get him going, and he held himself accountable and said, ‘Hey, got to be more assertive.' And he was.”
