NBA University shoutout speaks to Jarrett Allen’s growth for Cavs

Jarrett Allen has had a bit of a dip in overall splits on offense this season, compared to last year, but that’s not been concerning. With the trade arrival of Donovan Mitchell over the past offseason, and with other players involved, it was realistic for Allen’s numbers to decline somewhat.

Having said that, Allen has still been every bit as good as he was last season, in which he was named an All-Star for the first time, and he’s been terrific defensively.

His rim protection, interior shot altering, active hands and further strides made with switchability have all contributed to his stellar play there. Him and Evan Mobley are the two pillars for the league’s second-ranked defense.

As it pertains to the offensive end for Allen, though, he’s again been an impact roller and screener, and he’s finished at a high level as a cutter and putback player. But what’s been especially noteworthy is how he’s made continual strides with his self-creation as an interior scorer, and that has to be resonating among Cavs fans, too.

Along those lines, a recent tweet that jumped out among the NBA Twitterverse came from NBA University, one of the most insightful basketball accounts out there for fans. To that point, NBAU expressed how Allen has been one of the most efficient post-up scorers in the Association this season.

This shoutout from NBA University speaks to Allen’s growth on offense for the Cavs.

Allen had a career-high 16.1 points per contest last season, in what was his first full year with the Cavaliers, whereas this season, he’s averaged 14.0 points. That hasn’t been concerning, however, as he’s still found ways to contribute throughout contests in doing what he’s outstanding at inside, and Allen has demonstrated further development as a passer and decision-maker in set offense.

Also, from a scoring perspective, Allen has maximized his opportunities in post-up situations, as the aforementioned tweet from NBA University gave a glimpse into, per Shot Quality.

Allen is not an offensive hub big by any means, but his passing feel in a 4-on-3 scenarios in set situations has gotten better with more experience, and in post-ups, his footwork has improved by leaps and bounds in the past two seasons.

Additionally, his subtle use of ball fakes to improve angles has aided him in those plays, and his touch with both hands on hooks and push shots has made paired well with his physicality as a finisher over-the-top, which has rounded out his post-up tool box. There has been flashes in hte mid-range from Allen, too, and he has shown some viability as a situational driver when the matchups have called for that as well, for what it’s worth.

He’s long been an elite finisher, and that will always be there from Allen. On the season, his 63.3 percent field goal hit rate is fifth-best in the league among qualified players, per Basketball Reference.

Allen’s growth as an on-ball presence inside after gaining favorable position, leading to meaningful post-up possessions has been a pleasure to watch, though. And while he’s not going to have nearly the usage of Donovan Mitchell or Darius Garland, or Evan Mobley, feasibly, Allen is efficient in how he goes about his business inside, as one of the best NBA accounts on Twitter, in NBA University, highlighted above.

Allen is still only a 24-year-old, too. Whether or not there’s more untapped from him offensively as a scorer, his development there over the course of his time with the Cavaliers has been impressive, and he’s truly become one of the NBA’s best two-way 5s.