Cavs training camp observations: Jarrett Allen adjusting to 5-out

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Cavs training camp observations: Jarrett Allen adjusting to 5-out

Spencer Davies, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Wed, Oct 1, 2025 ·

5 min read

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The post Cavs training camp observations: Jarrett Allen adjusting to 5-out appeared first on ClutchPoints .

It was a much more intense Day 2 of training camp for the Cleveland Cavaliers at IMG Academy than when they arrived on Tuesday.

"I don't know how long we were out there. It was a long, tough practice with a scrimmage at the end," Kenny Atkinson told reporters in Bradenton, Florida, at the gym. "It was surprisingly not sloppy. You know how that goes. Usually in training camp, things go crazy. It just goes to show, we're a very skilled team. We have a lot of skill. Our principles on both ends, sides of the ball are pretty established. This team's been together for a while, so that probably explains it. But I'm surprised the fatigue didn't cause more… we didn't have that many mental errors."

ClutchPoints will be on-site for the first three days of Cavs training camp in Bradenton and highlight the most notable storylines of each day.

Here is what stood out on Day 2:

Jarrett Allen has to find more comfort on the outside

With so many teams playing on the outside, the Cavs are emphasizing that getting Jarrett Allen acclimated to modern-day, perimeter-oriented basketball.

"Offense, just set screens, get everybody open. Just try to move fluidly throughout the offense by just getting in where I fit in," Allen said of his role. "My thing is setting screens and getting people open, so just stick to that. On the defensive end, just working on my lateral quickness. He wants to be a 5-out team and be able to red whenever , so I've been working in the training room just trying to get my speed up."

Atkinson decided to split Allen and Evan Mobley up in Tuesday's session to put him in such situations where he's on his own.

"Can we get him more alone sometimes and put him in coverages that force him to get out there and defend the perimeter?" Atkinson said. "Doing drills, defensive drills where we'll put him in the guard position, so to speak. Just becoming more comfortable.

"It's not like he can't do it; it's like, just be more comfortable in these situations. So, you've got to continue to do it. I think that's when you're thinking — you have to obviously keep working on your fundamentals, your basics — but that's like a playoff intention we've got to think about. So definitely part of our plan."

Throwing Allen into the deep end to learn that way should pay dividends in due time.

"I think on defense he can guard 1-5. He's got great feet. He's got great timing and everything, so we can kinda put him anywhere. We've seen that in the past and I think we've seen that here as well.

"Offensively, he was a little uncomfortable at first, but you can see how he's gaining more comfortability, more confidence in himself being out there. Corner and wing ball-screens, he's just flying around. It's really free-flowing for him, and I think he's really kinda gained that. He's being very confident. It's hard to guard."

Big man depth is going to help tremendously

The Cavs brought back Larry Nance Jr . and added Thomas Bryant to the team's big-man room over the summer. Both Dean Wade and Allen welcome them with open arms.

"It's gonna help us a bunch," Wade said. "They bring physicality, toughness, and just a different aspect of the game. Both those guys, Larry and TB, can rebound at the highest level, defend at the highest level."

"As a big, you do a lot. You do a lot of movement. You do a lot of running up and down the court, and it can get tiring," Allen added. "When you have fresh legs to be able to battle with other bigs, not give the other bigs a break, it just helps tremendously being able to pound away."

Wade agrees with Allen: "Just having those guys being able to come into the second unit and not have to worry so much about fouls and you just play free and aggressive, that's huge for us."

Kenny Atkinson values every game

This was one of the most real quotes of the afternoon. He responded strongly when a reporter asked about some players saying that the regular season doesn't matter because the playoffs hold more importance.

"I don't subscribe to that," Atkinson said. "I've heard it around, right? The regular season, it doesn't work like that. We have to continue to build. The only way you get better at the end is to get better every day and get better every game. So, there's not going to be any cruise control or, 'Hey, we're mailing this week in or this game.' It's like, man, we're going to hold them to the same standards, build the same way.

"Now, I do think, strategically, we have to be better about planning both tactically and physically for the playoffs; I'm going to give you this bit on when that starts. We did have a plan last year, but health-wise and kind of fitness-wise, we probably weren't where I wanted to be. And I think that's the returns for that. So we've had a lot of those discussions over the offseason, how to do that better, and help our guys more."

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