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Will Cavs’ center Jarrett Allen make an All-Defense Team?

By Josh Cornelissen

Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images /
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Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports) /

Will Jarrett Allen make All-Defense? 2. Center is the toughest spot

The most important defensive position on the court is center. Teams need to have defensive solutions at other places, and combo forwards who can switch or pesky steal-generating guards are valuable, but players with size who deter drives and erase shots at the rim are proven to be the most valuable defenders in the league. With just two centers able to make one of the two All-Defense teams, that means the league’s most impactful defenders have to be squeezed into just two slots.

That often might mean that one of the league’s three-best defenders is left off of a team entirely. To jump ahead in our discussion, there is a great chance of this happening to Allen, as there is to any center in the league. Rudy Gobert seems like a lock to be the first-team center; how many players will vie for the final slot?

Jaren Jackson Jr. and Bam Adebayo are incredible defenders, both able to switch frequently. Jackson is a better rim protector while Adebayo is better in space defending smaller players, but both are at Allen’s level as impactful defenders. Jakob Poetl is less versatile but truly elite in protecting the rim, while Myles Turner is a mainstay in this discussion each year, even if an extended injury absence this year will drop him from the running.

Robert Williams III had a terrifyingly dominant run as the Celtics rose up the standings and was the best defensive big on the league’s best defense, although his late-season injury could tank his candidacy. Joel Embiid will get plenty of publicity for his defensive worthiness, and could get votes to try and “make up” for not getting first in MVP, but in the regular season his defense wanes as he leans into being one of the league’s best scorers.

Add it all up, and the level of competition makes it difficult for Allen to make a team. There is just one spot for a half-dozen deserving guys. That being said, positional versatility may provide some hope for Allen. Adebayo and Jackson are both eligible at forward, and in Jackson’s case he starts at the 4. If voters slot both at forward, then the competition at center thins, perhaps enough for Allen to make it on.