What The Ringer got right and very wrong in ranking Cavaliers

Where did Jarrett Allen rank among the NBA’s best players?

Rounding out the Cavaliers’ placements, Mobley’s partner in crime Jarrett Allen found himself as The Ringer’s 64th-best player. Allen just missed the top half of the list but still sits among other great centers. Namely, Allen was ranked only one spot below Indiana’s Myles Turner.

Similar to Mobley, Allen’s analysis gushed about his defensive prowess. His rank fell, though, due to writer J. Kyle Mann’s self-proclaimed hot take on Allen.

"If Allen weren’t surrounded by All-Star guards Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, it’d be fine to sag back and dare him to shoot in the mid range… That’s done a lot to enable the things Allen does well. – J. Kyle Mann"

Though this suggests that Allen’s talent hinges on who he is surrounded by, this is far from a true critique of the 2022 All-Star center. Seeing how Allen is enabled by Garland and Mitchell only speaks to the successful roster construction and overall fit the Cavaliers enjoy due to the efforts of their front office.

Jarrett Allen served a pivotal role in Cleveland’s league-leading defense with an average of 1.2 blocks and 9.8 rebounds per game, only then complimented by 14.3 points.

Though Allen’s toughness was tested severely in the postseason, his inclusion at 64th in this list suggests that keeping Allen and adding depth around the current four-man core of the Cavaliers is the right path forward.

Again, it is crucial to note that a list of 125 players does not even include every team’s starting lineup. For the Cavaliers to see each of their most consistent starters included speaks volumes for their bright future. All things come in time, and the Cavaliers are set up tremendously to compete for years to come, assuming they can continue to make the right off-season moves.

Next year, there may be a dramatic jump by one or more of the Cavaliers, especially for Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. Eventually, either one (why not both?) could find themselves listed in the single digits of the top 125 NBA competitors.