Jarrett Allen didn’t win NBA Player of the Month, but answered Cavs’ ‘challenge’

Doc Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen he may not have won Cade Cunningham NBA Player of the Month Award for the Eastern Conference in February, his incredible 11-game hitting streak cannot be overlooked. He averaged 22.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 blocks in just under 30 minutes per contest for the Cavs, shooting 74.0% from the field.

That led to the entire NBA, and as Eric Slater of ClutchPoint wrote, he was the only player in the league to average 20 and 10 on at least 50% shooting.

After the team’s last home game, a convincing 109-94 victory over the New York Knicks a week ago, Larry Nance Jr. pointed to that dominance in Donovan Mitchellinterview after the game. He asked the All-Star guard about the “pantheon of greats” before the real question came up.

“There’s Kobe (Bryant) masked, Kyrie (Irving) without a jersey,” Nance said. “Where Does Black History Month Jarrett Allen Come In?”

“I mean, JA Black History Month is definitely a thing right now,” Mitchell replied, as Allen leaned in to listen. “Dr. JA. As soon as JA put on the Black History Month shirt, he just flipped it. He put it on for our people, right? So respect JA. Black History Month JA is definitely up there with Masked Kirie, Hoodie Melo (Anthony). Let’s make it.”

As entertaining as that exchange was, the loud praise Allen received in the locker room was well-deserved and admirable.

Allen was a pure force inside, and his month began with what was described as a A play like Hakeem Olajuwon against the Portland Trail Blazers. Allen scored a career-high 40 points with 17 boards, five assists and four blocks. It featured the locker room photographing his face over Wilt Chamberlain’s famous “100” painting in celebration.

That would end up being a precursor to what followed in February, when he recorded nine double-doubles in 11 opportunities. With Evan Mobley sidelined with a calf injury, Allen played well even before the Cavs overhauled their roster with the franchise trade for James Harden.

“He’s just caught this wave, this momentum. He’s playing outside of himself. I mean, both ends,” Atkinson said, noting his 84 defensive rating against the Knicks. “He’s playing great basketball. Confidence. I think that part when Evan came out, his usage increased a lot. I think that gave him confidence. He started taking chances there. And then, he always finished in the paint, didn’t he? First in the league in field goal percentage last year. So he can do it.”

But from the moment Harden adjusted to wine and gold, that connection became the most natural. The 36-year-old’s smarts in the pick and roll, combined with Allen’s timing and footwork, is a match made in heaven.

“Being on the outside, I can say he’s better than I thought he was in terms of being able to catch the ball, finish around the rim with both hands,” Harden said. “He has so much touch around the rim, and I think that’s probably one of the most underrated parts of his game. So I’m just trying to find ways to get him the ball and get him into positions where he can be successful, and the same thing with Eva and all our bigs…

“…Just defensively, how active he is offensively, how he understands, when to roll to the basket, when to short, when to find the pocket, screening angles, all kinds of things like that. And he’s so athletic, he gets into the roll. He sets a screen or a screen quickly, which I don’t have to get used to, Zubac is really good. in a way, too, but Jarrett is more of a fast roller, so I just have to get used to actually finding that pace.”

Allen admitted that Harden’s arrival only strengthened the positive play that has been constant for a good month and a half.

“Just his patience,” Allen said. “He’s not going to force any shots. He’s not going to force any lobs all the time. He’s not going to try to make a hero play. He’s going to try to pick the other team apart, just try to understand their defense and try to make the right play.”

“Just attacking, aggressive, assertive on both ends of the floor,” Mitchell added of Allen’s mindset with Harden. “He’s up in the pick and roll. He’s on the boards. He’s getting the ball in the paint. Sometimes we feel like he’s surrounded by four guys and he’s still getting there, finishing with contact. That’s the most aggressive I’ve ever seen. And this was before James. And now, you add James, and it’s like a whole. He’s like a whole.”

It also helps that I’ve recovered from two separate, nagging finger injuries that occurred early in the season.

“I mean, he really struggled with the broken fingers,” Atkinson said. “He tried to work through it. And then we took him out for a couple of weeks, right, and we paid for it (in the) win-loss column, but we had to get him right. I think he’s healthy, (that’s) definitely part of it.”

what Kenny Atkinson told Jarrett Allen to lock him up

And yet, the primary reason he plays with an edge every night is none of those reasons.

“Kenny challenged me,” Allen said. “Evan was out, Evan hurt his calf, he told me, he came to me and said, ‘You’re going to have to pick it up. You’re going to have to make up for the loss of rim protection, the loss of offensive ability.’ And I took it to heart. I went out there and honestly started having fun and didn’t really care about the mistakes I was going to make, and just played free, and it worked for me.

“I always try to say I’m the perfect soldier. If you tell me to do something, I’ll blindly go do it, whether I believe it or not. And it just worked.”

Mitchell raised his head in his final postgame interview while he was aiming at Allen with open ears.

“Let’s hope we can continue this in March, shall we?”

Cunningham and the Pistons are in town for a rematch of the classic, wild game between the two just four days ago.

Expectations are now set for Allen, even with Mobley back in the fold, meaning the Cavs must continue to find Fro down low.