How James Harden Is Unlocking Jarrett Allen for Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers are starting to trend the right direction.

Following a rough start to the 2025-26 NBA campaign, the Cavaliers have begun to rattle off wins, something they are doing at an impressive rate. Most recently, on Monday, Feb. 9, the Cavaliers took on the Denver Nuggets on the road, having to rally for nearly the entire game to produce a comeback. They ultimately snuck out a win, 119-117, off the backs of a really well-rounded team performance.

One of the biggest reasons for why the Cavaliers were able to escape with win No. 33 on the season was due to the play down low from center Jarrett Allen. He was downright dominant.

Without forward Evan Mobley in the lineup, Allen was the sole big man starting for the Cavaliers, having to match up against Denver Nuggets MVP-caliber center Nikola Jokic.

While Jokic did normal Jokic things, recording yet another triple-double, Allen, in his own regard, stuck right with him. He finished the night with a strong 22 points and 13 rebounds for his fourth straight double-double performance.

This has been a trend for Allen lately, as since the start of 2026, things have slowly begun looking up for him. Over the course of the last four outings, Allen's averaging 25.25 points and 12.75 rebounds.

The most notable performance during this stretch was against the Portland Trailblazers, where Allen put up a career-high 40 points, while hauling in 17 rebounds.

Many wanted him off the team at the deadline, but if he can keep this up, Cleveland may return right back to title contention.

Jarrett Allen's last four games of this West Coast road trip:

- 40 points, 17 rebounds vs POR
- 10 points, 11 rebounds vs LAC (Blowout win)
- 29 points, 10 rebounds vs SAC
- 22 points, 13 rebounds vs DEN

Cavs 4-0 in that stretch
— Tony Pesta (@Tony_Pesta) February 10, 2026

How Harden is influencing Allen's breakout

While Allen was stout in the win over the Nuggets, other Cavaliers helped contribute to his effectiveness down low. Veteran James Harden, who just recently joined the team at the trade deadline, has immediately begun working well with the roster.

In the win over the Nuggets, Harden contributed 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, with his ability to space the floor directly helping Allen get open underneath. Cleveland now has two high-impact guards in Harden and Donovan Mitchell to provide looks for Allen.

In years past, Harden has directly helped grow teams' bigs, including Dwight Howard with the Houston Rockets and Ivica Zubac with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The pick and roll might become Harden and Allen's go-to move, especially when they have to go up against teams with more physicality and size, like the Nuggets.

Every single Cavs player glows when they speak about Jarrett Allen. They always have. Even Harden who’s been here for only two games.

Give JA his respect‼️ pic.twitter.com/BaaGVZXrGg
— Jaylon Tyson Fan Club (@IsaacOkoroFan) February 10, 2026

As the Cavaliers await Mobley's return from his calf injury, the coaching staff will have to rely on Allen to continue this strong pace of play. If he can keep putting up consistent double-doubles, the Cavaliers will continue showing teams around the league that there are no weaknesses on the roster.

The only question now is whether his production drops when Mobley returns to health. Historically, the two haven't meshed well while on the court together.

But for now, Allen can be confident he's helping lead the team to continued success.

The Cavaliers next look to take on the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, Feb. 11, with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m. EST.