Why Jarrett Allen Is Key to Cleveland Cavaliers Second Half Success

The Cavaliers currently sit at 34-21 as they enter the All-Star break at fourth in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Knicks for third, and one and a half games behind the Celtics for second. Cleveland has used a scoring hot streak to gain ground in the conference, winning 10 of their last 11 games, and is currently on a five-game winning streak.

After acquiring James Harden, the Cavs are 3-0 in his first three games, while Harden has been great, putting up 19.3 points and 5.3 rebounds, his assists have been the main contributor to the team. Lots of those assists are going to the big man Jarrett Allen.

The Cavaliers are 16-2 when Allen puts 15 or more points this season.

Allen impacting everything for Cavs

In the month of February, Allen is averaging 24.4 points per game, 12 rebounds per game, and shooting 74.6% from the floor. Allen has put together some masterful games without Evan Mobley in the lineup, most recently going perfect from the floor (8-8), scoring 21 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and adding two blocks on Wednesday night versus Washington.

The month started with Allen accomplishing a milestone in Portland, where he scored a career-high 40 points on 16-23 shooting. If that wasn’t enough, Allen also snatched up 17 rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and two steals.

On the contrary, the Cavs are 12-13 when Allen scores 14 or fewer points this year.

It is clear that when Allen gets his touches, it leads to success for Cleveland. The acquisition of Harden running the point has helped elevate Allen’s game also. In those three games with Harden playing, Allen has scored 20+ points in each one, and has shot the ball at an incredible 80% from the floor.

The main gripe Cavs fans could have is if Allen is able to continue this amount of output when Evan Mobley is back in the lineup and healthy. The last game Mobley played in was on January 26th versus Orlando, before he was diagnosed with a calf strain that will keep him out until after the All-Star break.

Cleveland returns to regular-season action on February 19th against the Brooklyn Nets. If you are looking to fulfill your Cavalier fix over the star-studded weekend, apart from Jaylon Tyson competed in the Rising Stars game on Friday night, Donovan Mitchell participated in the State Farm Three-Point Contest on Saturday and will also be a part of Team Stripes in the All-Star game tournament on Sunday.