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Cavs center Jarrett Allen's selflessness is a key to Cleveland's chemistry | Ulrich
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- Cavs center Jarrett Allen's selflessness is a key to Cleveland's chemistry | Ulrich
CLEVELAND — Jarrett Allen comes across as someone who would rather spend time perfecting his computer-building hobby than lobbying for himself to make a second career All-Star Game.
The Cavaliers starting center is the epitome of a low-maintenance standout, and his selflessness is among the reasons Cleveland's team chemistry is a strength.
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With an NBA-best record of 33-4 after Thursday night's 132-126 win over the Toronto Raptors , the Cavs are publicly pushing their desire to have the entire "core four" of Allen , forward Evan Mobley , point guard Darius Garland and shooting guard Donovan Mitchell represent the franchise as All-Stars. Coach Kenny Atkinson has repeatedly said he considers each member of the quartet worthy of appearing in the league's annual showcase Feb. 16 in San Francisco.
Allen is a prime candidate to become the odd man out, though. He's also not the type to launch an aggressive campaign for himself.
Cleveland Cavaliers Darius Garland, left, Jarrett Allen, center, and Donovan Mitchell celebrate during the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 8, 2025, in Cleveland.
The impressive camaraderie the Cavs possess would not be the same without Allen.
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"It's super valuable 'cause if you think about it, Evan, Darius, Donovan get a lot of the attention — [Allen] wants none of it," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. "And he just wants to push [Mobley's All-Star case]. I keep seeing his quotes on Evan, like, 'Evan was great. Evan was great.'
"We're human, right? [He could say], 'I'm pretty good, too, right?' But he keeps pushing the attention that way, and he doesn't want any of it coming his way. I don't know. I've been in the NBA a long time. That's not normal."
An All-Star during the 2021-22 season, Allen is unique.
"My favorite player, Jarrett Allen , has been sensational," Cavs small forward Max Strus said. "I mean, there's nothing he can't do. He just does everything that a winning player does and doesn't ask for anything in return.
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"He's just the ultimate big, the best center you can ask for. He doesn't ask for the ball. He doesn't complain about anything. He just protects your ass on defense every single time, doesn't ask for anything in return and just plays the game and moves on to the next day. I wish I could live my life like that, but I got a little anger-management issue."
Cleveland Cavs center Jarrett Allen is having fun with ethical basketball
Allen, on the other hand, isn't prickly. He's incredibly nice and amuses teammates, coaches and reporters with his sense of humor.
Two years ago, Allen cracked himself up by accidentally referring to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse as Playhouse Square. Earlier this season, he fielded a question about the Cavs' secret sauce and identified it as "Bolognese."
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Allen's most recent running joke is praising the Cavs for playing "ethical basketball." When Allen was asked to explain the definition, he quipped, "Farm-raised, non-GMO, organic or free-range, ethical basketball." Behind the scenes, he gave Atkinson the same spiel.
"Jarrett's a different cat," said Atkinson, who also coached Allen during the latter's first three NBA seasons with the Brooklyn Nets .
Allen has a quiet side, too. Garland described him as "the cousin that's kind of standoffish but still in the family." When Garland wants to engage, he knows he can always ask Allen about the latest computer he's been working on.
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"He's great for our group, though, because he brings so much energy on the floor, and he's hilarious off the floor," Garland said. "That fits our character."
On the court, Allen is crucial to the Cavs, who are on a 12-game winning streak. He has played in all 37 games this season, averaging 14.2 points (ranked fourth on the team) on 70.6% shooting from the floor, 10.2 rebounds (first on the team), 1.9 assists, 1 steal, 0.9 blocked shots and 29.1 minutes.
Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (19) and Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) look to rebound on Jan. 9, 2025, in Cleveland.
Jarrett Allen posts another double-double as Cavs defeat Raptors. He nearly had one in the second quarter alone
The Cavs were drained coming off Wednesday night's emotional 129-122 win over the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder (30-6), but Allen gave Cleveland a lift against the Raptors (8-30) with 11 points and nine rebounds in the second quarter of a back-to-back. He finished with his team-leading 22nd double-double of the season with 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field, a game-high 15 rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and a steal in 29 minutes.
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"He's a monster in the paint," Mobley said. "When he turns it on, no one can stop him. That second quarter was big for us, and it got us the little push we needed and got the crowd involved."
Then there's the harder-to-notice dirty work Allen does, like setting screens or defending. Atkinson recently compared Allen to an All-Pro offensive tackle in the NFL who doesn't receive the credit he deserves for knocking people out of the way.
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With about a minute left against the Raptors, Allen fell into courtside seats as he saved the ball from going out of bounds. He successfully redirected it to Cavs guard Caris LeVert and thereby earned a vital defensive rebound. Moments later, Garland made a step-back 3-pointer to give the Cavs a 129-124 lead with 39.6 seconds left, and they held on to improve to 20-1 at home.
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Allen's hustle qualifies as ethical basketball.
"He's making all the winning plays," Atkinson said.
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Jarrett Allen's physical presence in the NBA has evolved, and Cleveland Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson has specific examples
When the Nets drafted Allen out of Texas in the first round (No. 22 overall) in 2017, he received criticism akin to what six-time Pro Bowl defensive end Myles Garrett heard when the Browns drafted him No. 1 overall the same year out of Texas A&M.
"The rap on [Allen] coming out of college is that he didn't love basketball," Atkinson said. "That kind of scared some people away, and that couldn't be farther from the truth. I think he's just got a lot of other interests, right? He's an intellectual guy, smart guy, reads a ton, plays all the video games. But I don't think you should underestimate his toughness and grit, and I think that's growing, right?"
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Atkinson pointed out Dwight Howard compiled 32 points and 30 rebounds against Allen when he was a Nets rookie.
"I was like, 'Man, is this guy ever going to be able to physically match up with elite centers in this league?'" Atkinson said. "... I remember the film session after that, him just getting kind of thrown around, and he's kind of flipped it — flipped it where he's the dominating presence."
Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) on Jan 8, 2025, in Cleveland.
It has taken years. Questions about Allen's toughness arose in April 2023, when the New York Knicks knocked the Cavs out of the first round of the playoffs in five games.
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Allen, 26, has responded well. Against the Thunder on Wednesday, he encountered an old Knicks nemesis, OKC center Isaiah Hartenstein . Allen tallied 25 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in the reunion.
"Now that his strength has caught up to his agility and athleticism, I think you're starting to see him in his prime, and [Wednesday] night was a great case," Atkinson said. "Hartenstein's a tough matchup, and Oklahoma City 's a tough matchup physically. And I thought [Allen] kind of dominated the paint, so that speaks really highly of where he was and where he is now."
Allen isn't inclined to advertise it, though. He's more likely to just do his job, go home and build computers. And his teammates love him for it.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jarrett Allen's selflessness a key to Cleveland Cavs camaraderie
