Jarrett Allen answers the coach’s challenge with an assertive night against the Nets

After the calculation an unacceptable performance in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season opener, Jarrett Allen let his game answer for him Friday in familiar territory at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“I’m used to the lights at Barclays Center,” Allen joked after the Cavs’ 131-124 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. “I played here for three years. It’s the first place that drew me. I have a lot of great memories with the staff, the people around the building and just playing on the court in front of Brooklyn. It’s always special to come back here.”

Allen celebrated in the win, the Cavs’ first of the 2025-26 campaign. He scored 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and blocked a shot.

Cleveland’s big man told ClutchPoints before the media scrimmage that he wanted to “make a good showing” off the jump with high intensity and energy. Looking at his body language in the opening moments, there was a demand for the ball, and he got those touches that didn’t come on Wednesday.

“His teammates got the message,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson he said postgame. “Like, get this guy the ball. He led the league in field goal percentage. We give him the ball, he’s a happier guy and plays harder. And I thought he was a real difference maker. He loves coming back here and showing these guys who he is.”

Allen was caught and made 12 passes each in his 28 minutes of action against the New York Knicks, according to NBA.com. In the rest of the contest, Cleveland fed Allen 28 times, while he passed the ball to his guys 22 times. That more than doubled his participation.

“Just get into the groove of it,” Allen added. “Being able to share the ball with my teammates, pass to Craig (Porter Jr.) and Sam (Merrill) on the perimeter, and just try to get a feel for the game. I mean, we’re all basketball players. Everybody wants to touch the ball at the end of the day. Everybody wants to be the hero every game. And that helps the defense. It helps the defense set up and it helps us be more aggressive.”

Donovan Mitchell he credited Allen’s dominance as the reason Cleveland held the lead for as long as it did throughout the game.

“I mean, we’re giving a hard time and laughing and joking, but he’s consistent,” Mitchell said. “One thing I know about JA, if he doesn’t have the night before, he’s going to come back and answer. He didn’t need us to tell him anything. He did it himself. But as much as he didn’t have a good game, we didn’t put him in spots.

“It starts with me. I told (Cavs sideline reporter) Serena (Winters) that, for any big to go, you’ve got to get him going. If we don’t do that, then … I’m not saying it’s okay that he doesn’t necessarily have to be as active, but that’s just the way it works with all the bigs I recognize.”

Merrill acknowledged Atkinson’s plea to feed the big man. He said Allen played great and the way Cleveland is used to, expecting to see more nights like this.

“I tell him, he’s capable of completely taking over a game,” Merrill said. “It’s different than like Donovan or DG (Darius Garland) or whatever, but he’s totally capable of that, and he did (Friday). We know what JA is, but we’ve got to find a way to keep him involved. The other night, we just didn’t find it. So we’ve got to keep finding a way, because he can dominate the ball, whether he can dominate the ball, whether he’s defense or the ball” whatever, but we have to reward him for it.

“Pick and roll,” Allen added. “That’s what I’m destined to do. That’s what I’ve been doing in this league and what I’m probably going to get out of this league.”

Jarrett Allen takes it to the cup with authority

The the defining moment of Allen’s night he was a true, lateral drive from the top of the perimeter all the way to the rim that he rounded off with a jump shot over seemingly every body in Brooklyn in the way.

“He gave me a step up, and I know my speed is pretty fast compared to a lot of players in this league, and I just took advantage of that,” Allen said.

“I was at half court. I was ready to come out of a Zoom action or something,” Mitchell recalled. “He just took it on his own. He went there, and it was like he went and then he went up again. He was triggered there. He does things sometimes and I’m like… I don’t know how. I don’t know how he does it. But it was amazing.”

Merrill called the moment “crazy,” assuming Allen wanted to “send a message.”

All night, Allen wrestled with Nick Claxton, a famous foe he has fought many times. It wasn’t even a fair fight. He moved him out of the paint on the outs and closed him down to give Cleveland’s drivers room to attack. Allen spent a game-high 6:05 guarding Claxton, who had just one bucket on four attempts in that game. Conversely, Allen scored twice on both Claxton and Day’Ron Sharp.

In the second half, Allen began using his high-post passes to find Merrill, Jaylon Tyson and perimeter shooters primed for the next move from behind the arc.

“We have two bigs, Evan (Mobley) and myself, who are able to crash the glass, bring gravity to the rim,” Allen said. “And we’ve got great shooters like Sam and Craig (Porter Jr.) on the outside so they can knock down shots.”

When things fizzled, with less than two minutes left in the game, Allen came up with a huge offensive board, chased down a loose ball and drew a foul when he crashed into Atkinson. That would be the most important of his seven rebounds.

“I’d say it’s just a little crowded,” Allen said. “It’s early in the season. Everybody’s going down. Teams are also more aggressive right now, and so is the league. Five guys are going down. There’s a lot more threes in this league, so a lot of balls are going to be long (outside the rim on misses). It’s just a mix of everything.”

Allen rewarded his work with two clutch free throws to make it a six-point game, and then Cleveland was able to close things out.

It was a version of Allen that the Cavs can rely on. With the proof in the pudding, he and his teammates must consistently work together. It can’t just be a one-off.

“My challenge to him is, ‘Hey, there might be plays where they take you out of it, but you still have to find a way to be effective,'” Mitchell said. “So it’s a give and take, but it starts with me being able to get him going and him holding himself accountable and saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got to be more assertive.’ And he was.”