Jarrett Allen rightfully replaces Harden as Cavs’ second All-Star

The Cleveland Cavaliers are having a breakout season, sitting at 35-22 and third in a highly competitive Eastern Conference. All of their young core has taken a step forward, and point guard Darius Garland was named an All-Star Reserve to represent the Cavs at the league’s marquee weekend in just a few days.

Many expected center Jarrett Allen to give host city Cleveland two All-Stars, but inexplicably the Eastern Conference coaches chose Khris Middleton as one of the frontcourt reserves, elevating him above multiple more-deserving players such as Allen and even his own teammate Jrue Holiday. Allen was considered the top snub by many following the league.

Jarrett Allen has been named the injury replacement for James Harden, rightfully giving the host Cavaliers their second All-Star this year.

The wrong was righted on Valentine’s Day, when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver named Jarrett Allen as the injury replacement for Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden:

Harden, recently traded to the 76ers but yet to make an appearance, is nursing a hamstring injury that caused him to miss multiple games and completely pout his way through the games he did appear in. After LaMelo Ball received the commissioner’s first nod as an East injury replacement (for Kevin Durant) Allen gets his due and will join Garland in hosting the rest of their All-Star teammates.

This is Allen’s first All-Star nod of his career, an acknowledgment of the massive step forward he has taken as one of the league’s best play finishers around the basket. He has developed elite pick-and-roll chemistry with Darius Garland and formed an excellent two-way partnership with rookie Evan Mobley.

Allen is averaging 16.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game on 66.5 percent shooting from the field. As the excellent StatMuse Twitter account let us know, those numbers are truly historic:

Allen isn’t simply spoon-fed points from Garland, either. He has been assisted on just 70.81 percent of his 2-point baskets, the lowest mark of his career. He is scoring on putbacks and post-ups, on top of his elite rim-running and cuts inside. He is one of the league’s best interior scoring threats, full-stop. His rebounding ranks inside of the Top 10 in the league, and his offensive rebounding percentage of 12.5 percent is eighth.

Defensively he is a worthy All-Defense candidate as well. He is third in the league in Defensive WIn Shares and fourth in Defensive Rating, and his rim protection is truly elite. Players shoot just 47.3 percent inside of six feet when Allen is the lowest defender; not only is that among the lowest numbers in the league, but it means those players shoot 15.5 percent worse than normal. Given Allen ranks inside the Top 10 in frequency of interior shots defended, his impact inside is as good as anyone’s in the league.

Allen’s impact is not simply individual, either, but has translated to team success. The Cavs rank fourth in the league in defensive rating, built from the inside out. No team allows fewer shots at the rim (0-3 feet) than the Cavs, and no one allows a lower field goal percentage on those shots. They literally lead the league in both!

Jarrett Allen is hyper-efficient at the league’s most valuable shots, those at the rim. Defensively he limits those most valuable shots, to the point that his team performs the best in that area. This is why Allen has one of the strongest two-way All-Star cases in the league, and why he was a worthy selection by Silver to be an All-Star.

He was a no-brainer replacement, but even more so given that he and Garland can serve as hosts in Cleveland as the All-Star Game returns to Ohio. His affable nature and tell-tale afro make him the perfect player to take center stage as the Cavs become an All-Star Team themselves.

For Cleveland to go from just 22 wins a season ago to where they are now, a winning club with two All-Star selections, is as magical as it is unexpected. As Chris Manning of Locked on Cavs points out, even the most optimistic among us didn’t see this coming:

Jarrett Allen is just 23 years old, and both he and the Cavs should be good for a long time. The best big men in the long are buoyed by elite ball-handlers who can get them the ball, and Allen is no exception. His pairing with Darius Garland will help them both excel, and defensively his pairing with likely future All-Star Evan Mobley will lock down offenses for a long time too. There is no reason he can’t carve out a Rudy-Gobert-like spot in the Eastern Conference for years to come.

Congratulations to Jarrett Allen, yet another first-time All-Star and an excellent ambassador for the sport. Cavs fans get to enjoy seeing not one but two of their tentpole young stars on the league’s biggest stage. Here’s hoping we get at least one of Allen’s signature dunks during the All-Star Game.