Regrading last summer’s Jarrett Allen contract for the Cavs

Regrading Jarrett Allen’s contract: How this season went

Jarrett Allen did not rest on the laurels of his new contract for even a moment but instead came out as an even better version of what he had given the Cavs the season before after coming over in the Harden trade. Allen proved to be a dynamic partner for Darius Garland on offense and Evan Mobley on defense and earned his first career All-Star selection.

On offense, Allen became one of the league’s best finishers, giving Garland and the team’s other ball-handlers a large target to hit with soft hands that immediately translated into dunks, hooks and floaters. He even developed more of a back-to-basket game to allow the Cavs to take advantage of switching schemes.

Defensively Allen really shone, locking up the rim as the backline complement to Mobley’s roving destruction in front of him. He has excellent footwork and can take away a driving ball-handler while also preventing the lob, the epitome of excellent pick-and-roll defense.

Overall Allen developed into a much better player than last season, and nothing about that rise seemed fluky. Estimated Plus/Minus rated Allen as the 13th-most impactful player this season, between Chris Paul and Karl-Anthony Towns, and FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR model placed him 18th. In our year-end grades, we awarded Allen an “A” overall for his growth and two-way impact.