Despite dominating the regular season, the Cleveland Cavaliers fell short in the playoffs. Kenny Atkinson’s team was eliminated in the second round by the Indiana Pacers.
According to former Cavaliers big man Channing Frye, Jarrett Allen must embrace the physical aspect of the postseason.
“It’s really been bothering me… Jarrett Allen is not a playoff big man,” Frye said during a recent episode of the “Road Trippin’” podcast. “That is my statement. He is not physically dominant. He is not physically aggressive… At some point, as the main dude – the biggest dude on your team – you’ve gotta f*** somebody up once in a while.”
Allen is one of the best rim-runners in the NBA. However, he is often dislodged by more physical defenders which can limit his effectiveness throughout the course of a series. If the Cavaliers want to be a genuine contending team, they must figure out how to get the best out of their athletic big man.
In his 9 playoff games this season, he averaged 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He shot 72.1% from the field. Allen has had better postseason performances in recent years and will likely want to bounce back stronger next season.
Cavaliers Roster Receives Criticism
In a recent episode of the “Gils Arena” podcast, former NBA star Kenyon Martin blasted the number of Cavaliers players who sat out playoff games due to injury.
“You don’t suit up, bro, give me something? We’re already down Darius Garland, we know he ain’t healthy,” Martin said. “We know this going into it, he missed Game 1. So him playing in Game 2 is slim and none. We’ve got to this point, De’Andre Hunter, when you came in, we started playing better. Evan Mobley, we rely on you nightly. It ain’t just your points; it’s your defensive presence, it’s you being out there, it’s something that we could use. When they didn’t play in Game 2 I’m like, ‘Oh man they ain’t going to beat nobody, ain’t got no heart.”
Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter all missed time due to injury during the Cavaliers’ postseason run. In fact, all three were absent in games against the Pacers.
Darius Garland Must Add Strength
During a recent news conference, Koby Altman made it clear that Garland must find a way to get stronger if he wants to be a postseason threat.
“He (Garland) needs to get stronger so he can compete at the highest level,” Altman said. “It’s the same thing that [happened] with Stephen Curry. … Now, Steph is all-world. I’m not making that comparison. But Steph got stronger … over his years. He’s a different physical specimen than he was when he first started playing.”
Garland is an important piece of the Cavaliers rotation. However, his body of work in the playoffs leaves a lot to be desired. As such, Altman is right to issue a challenge. If Garland can get stronger, and prove he isn’t a target on defense, the Cavaliers will be a better team long-term.
Otherwise, Altman may need to explore potential trades to move on from Garland and give Donovan Mitchell a new partner in the backcourt.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Former Cavaliers Star Delivers Bold Jarrett Allen Take appeared first on Heavy Sports.