One stud and one dud for Cavs in win over Timberwolves on Friday

Cavs stud: Jarrett Allen

A key reason for the Cavaliers’ early ascension into playoff contention is the play of big man Jarrett Allen. Cleveland made sure to lock down what they hoped was their franchise center, and thus far, that investment is paying off.

As for this game in Minnesota, Allen poured in a game-high 21 points while also pulling down 10 rebounds and blocking a pair of shots.

Cleveland took advantage of a poor Minnesota defensive effort early on, and Allen was the recipient of a few lobs that he hammered home.

Darius Garland and Evan Mobley have garnered a lot of attention this season, and rightfully so, but Allen is playing at an All-Star level. In 23 games (all starts) for the Cavaliers big man, Allen is scoring 17.1 points per game while grabbing 11.3 rebounds and is blocking 1.3 shots per contest. Most impressively, Allen’s field goal percentage is one of the tops in the league.

His 70.4 shooting percentage ranks third-best in all of the league among qualified players, per Basketball Reference. Allen routinely makes defenses pay for converging on a driving guard and has displayed quite the athletic ability when throwing down alley-oops.

Allen has also shown an improving post game, and his lengthy wingspan is a plus when attempting hook shots in the lane.

If you look at the last 10 games as well, Allen is averaging 21.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.8 blocks while shooting 78.8 percent from the floor.

More performances like this last one against Minnesota will undoubtedly help Cleveland continue to stack wins in the win column and make them a real threat in the Eastern Conference.

Now, as for a dud from last night’s game, it is tough, but rules state I must pick one, so here we go.