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

While Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen may not have won Cade Cunningham’s NBA Player of the Month award for the Eastern Conference in February, his incredible 11-game performance cannot be ignored. He averaged 22.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 blocks in less than 30 minutes per contest for the Cavs, with a 74.0% field goal percentage.

This led the entire NBA, and, as Eric Slater of ClutchPoints 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 stunning 109–94 win over the New York Knicks a week earlier, Larry Nance Jr. drew attention to that dominance in Donovan Mitchell’s postgame interview. Before the real question came up, he asked the All-Star guard about the “God of Greats.”

“There’s Masked Kobe [Bryant]jersey-untucked bed [Irving],” Nance said. “Where does Black History Month Jarrett Allen come into play?”

“I mean, Black History Month JA is definitely a thing at this point,” Michelle responded, as Allen leaned in to listen. “Dr. [Anthony]. Let’s make it a thing.

As funny as that exchange was, the loud praise that Allen received in the locker-room was well-earned and appreciated.

Allen has been a strong player on the inside and his start to the month was described as a Hakeem Olajuwon-like performance against the Portland Trail Blazers. Allen scored a career-high 40 points with 17 boards, five assists and four blocks. It featured his face photoshopped onto the famous “100” photo of Wilt Chamberlain in celebration in the locker room.

This would ultimately be a precursor to what would come in February, which saw him record nine double-doubles in 11 opportunities. With Evan Mobley sidelined with a calf injury, Allen was playing well even before the Cavs rebuilt their roster with a franchise-altering trade for James Harden.

“He’s just caught this wave, this momentum. He’s playing out of his mind. I mean, both ends,” Atkinson said, noting his defensive rating of 84 against the Knicks. “He’s playing great basketball. Confidence. I think his usage increased a lot with Evan being out. I think it gave him confidence. He started taking some risks out there. And then, he always finishes in the paint, right? First in the league in field goal percentage last year. So he can do that.”

But since Harden adapted to alcohol and gold, the relationship has become just as natural. The 36-year-old’s pick and roll savvy, coupled with Allen’s timing and footwork, are a match made in heaven.

“Being out there, JA, I can say he’s a lot better than I thought he was in terms of being able to catch the ball, being able to finish around the rim with both hands,” Harden said. “He has a lot of touch around the rim, and I think that’s probably one of the most underrated parts of his game. So just trying to find ways to get him the ball and in positions where he can be successful, and the same thing with Eve and all of our big guys…

“… Just defensively, how active he is offensively, how he understands, when to roll to the basket, when to roll short, when to find the pocket, screening angles, different things like that. And he’s so athletic; he gets into a roll. It’s getting off screens or setting screens quicker, that’s something I’ve had to get used to. No disrespect to different players. [Ivica] Zubac is also really good in his own way, but Jarrett is like a speed roller, so I’m really going to have to get used to finding that speed.

Allen acknowledged that Harden’s arrival has only reinforced the positive play that has continued over the past month and a half.

“Just his patience,” Allen said. “He won’t force any shots. He won’t force any lobs all the time. He won’t try to force hero plays. He’ll try to pick apart the other team, just try to read their defense and try to make the right play.”

Mitchell said of Allen’s mentality with Harden, “Just aggressive, aggressive, vocal on both ends of the floor.” “He’s 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 out there, finishing through contact. This is the most aggressive I’ve ever seen him. And that was before James. And now, you add James, and it’s like a whole ‘nother layer. He’s really being vocal, and we need that.”

It also helps his recovery from two separate, painful finger injuries suffered early in the season.

“I mean, he was really dealing with broken fingers,” Atkinson said. “He tried to play through it. And then, we made him sit out for a few weeks, right, and we paid for it [in the] Win-loss column, but we had to get it right. I think he is healthy, [it’s] That’s definitely a part of it.”

What Kenny Atkinson told Jarrett Allen to lock him in

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

“Kenny challenged me,” Allen said. “Evan was out, Evan hurt his shin, he told me, came to me and said, ‘You’ve got to pick it up. You’ve got 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 just started having fun and not really caring about the mistakes I was going to make, and just started playing freely, and it’s working out for me.

“I always try to say I’m the perfect soldier. You tell me to do something, I’m blindly going to do it, whether I believe it or not. And it’s working.”

Mitchell raised his head and gazed at Allen with open ears in his last interview after the game.

“Hopefully, we’ll keep it going until March, right?”

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

Expectations are now set for Allen even with Mobley back, which means the Cavs will have to continue to find The Fro at lower levels.