Jarrett Allen achieved a rare feat this season, appearing in all 82 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The explosive rim-runner has been key to Kenny Atkinson’s team and how they cemented themselves at the top of the Eastern Conference.
To celebrate Allen’s achievement, the Cavaliers recently awarded him a ‘perfect attendance’ certificate. While the award is certainly a joke, it goes to show how impressive Allen’s durability and longevity have been this season.
Throughout his 82 games this season, Allen averaged 13.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He shot 70.6% from the field. Those numbers are even more impressive when contextualized with the fact that he’s been sharing the court with another 7-foot big man in Evan Mobley.
Atkinson has found a way to get the best out of his two big men. They work in tandem on both sides of the floor, each providing unique attributes to the Cavaliers’ roster. Nevertheless, Allen’s consistent availability is an attribute very few can boast in a specific season.
Cavaliers fans will now be hoping that Allen’s iron man run can continue throughout the postseason. After all, Cleveland will need its rim protection and vertical floor spacing if it’s going to compete for a championship in the coming months.
Questions Persist Over Darius Garland
During a recent episode of the “Wine and Gold Talk” podcast, long-time Cavaliers reporter Chris Fedor questioned Darius Garland‘s postseason ability. Fedor noted how opposing teams will consistently hunt the Cavaliers’ guard on the defensive end, and right now, there’s no guarantee Garland will rise to meet that challenge.
“I think there remains to be questions about Darius Garland and his readiness for everything that playoff basketball is,” Fedor said. “…If we’re being honest, Darius has struggled throughout the course of his career. And at times this year, even this year was an All-Star caliber season for him, but there were times that he struggled with physicality…The Cavs are ready for it. Kenny Atkinson is ready for it. Darius says he’s ready for it. But this is a switch-heavy defense, and teams are going to go pick and roll, and they’re going to put Darius in the action over and over and over again.”
With Allen and Mobley anchoring the paint, Garland doesn’t need to be perfect defensively. He does, however, need to prove that he can hold his own when guarding in space or forced into a physical matchup. Otherwise, opposing teams could look to punish his lack of physicality, and that would hurt the Cavaliers’ overall chances of success.
Donovan Mitchell Should be Healthy for Cavaliers
When speaking to the media on April 13, Atkinson provided an update on Donovan Mitchell‘s availability, noting that the All-Star guard should be ready to go once the playoffs begin.
“I think he’ll be full on with practice. We’re going to have to scrimmage at some point, probably intersquad with refs, so he’ll participate in that,” Atkinson said. “The most important thing is how we build him up with the ankle rehab and then conditioning.”
Mitchell missed the final four games of the Cavaliers’ season. Nevertheless, Cleveland’s star player will be back in the rotation once the playoffs begin. Atkinson’s team has all the tools to be a contender. Now, we get to see if they can put all those pieces together. Allen’s consistency and availability will likely play a big role, but only time will tell if the Cavaliers are truly championship-ready.
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