‘I had to clap my wrist’

Cleveland Cavaliers a great man Jarrett Allen finally had a chance to reveal his separate finger injuries after Tuesday’s preseason practice against the Chicago Bulls. He returned last week in his first game since Nov. 28, recording nine points, three rebounds and one assist in 23 minutes of action in Cavs loss to Charlotte Hornets.

“Everything I do on the field, I couldn’t,” Allen told reporters. “Even on the bench, trying to clap my teammates, I literally had to clap my wrist to try to make it work. So I struggled there for a while.”

Allen explained that his first injury occurred in the second game of the season, spraining his right finger in Brooklyn on Oct. 24, and “it’s been bothering me ever since.” The fracture of the little finger of the left finger occurred five days after this, on the road in Boston.

“I basically played with two injured fingers on two different hands for the last month before I sat down,” Allen said. “At this point, it’s just been recovery, trying to make sure I can get back in shape, make sure I don’t re-injure it and come back more. So it’s just been a lot of preparation, a lot of waiting, just a lot of trying to get ready to play again.”

These finger problems affected the Allens ability to catch the ball and shoot with either hand.

“Honestly, they both hurt equally,” Allen said. “I mean, they were both bad. This one (on my left side), broke a bone, but sprained a ligament. Like, I can’t even straighten this (right) finger anymore. That’s how bad it was.”

Staying in game shape and keeping the wind up is the worst part of the injury, Allen says. Before Sunday’s game, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said he was “conditioning his tail,” which is a big reason he was able to return.

“Literally every day, I’m running four or five miles, running, pushing my body harder than it would be on the field, to be honest,” Allen told ClutchPoints of the fight. “Being sore the next day, trying to deal with it. It was a challenge to be out there, and that’s one of the hardest parts that people don’t understand. Things don’t stop behind the scenes. You push yourself harder than before.”

While on the sidelines, Allen also wanted to think straight, leaning into the group in the moment to maintain a positive attitude.

“I know myself. It’s easy to check,” Allen said. “Like, you don’t play. You don’t really have to worry about things. You don’t want to mess up. It’s not going to be in the film session. But I’ve gotten more into the team. There are some games where I stand more, try to cheer for the team, be more encouraging and all that.”

“Honestly, I’ve never tried it. But this last game still felt the same energy that I was trying to bring when I was off the court. I feel like it just kept me more aligned and locked in.”

Atkinson felt his No. 1 fullback was good from a physical standpoint and said there was no minute limit for Allen. As for the process, it could have been better.

“I think he lacked a bit of rhythm, didn’t he? It wasn’t fitness,” Atkinson said on Tuesday. “It was more decisions, snap decisions. But he’ll be back in a hurry. The good thing is there wasn’t (bad) feedback about where his fingers were getting in the way or anything. We’ve just got to get his rhythm going, the rhythm of the game. It’s going to take a few games. It usually happens when a guy’s out for two, three weeks. That affects the decision.”

“I’m just getting used to the pace of the game again,” Allen added. “This is a fast-paced league. It’s hard to replicate what you’re going to get in the game, like speed, pick-and-rolls, everything, guarding certain players. So I’ve just got to get back into the swing of things.”

It’s a good thing the Cavs have Allen back now, considering Evan Mobley could be out for up to a month with a left calf strain, depending on his recovery time.

Unlike last year, that It hasn’t been an easy season for Cleveland on the injury front or execution front. Still, they drink wine and gold and do their best to stay in the fight.