The Cleveland Cavaliers and their fans know how great Jarrett Allen can be on his best day. They also know frustrating the experience can be when the starting center lacks focus. Having James Harden in Northeast Ohio should help make the former a much more regular occurence.
Harden's first game in a Cavaliers uniform coincided with a terrific performance from Allen. Coincidence? You'd be wild to convince yourself that it was.
In the Cavaliers' tight 132-126 win over the Sacramento Kings, Harden finished the night with eight assists. Allen received more of them than any other player for Cleveland and that helped pave the way for a 29-point outburst from the Cavs center.
Keeping Allen focused and engaged on offense has proven instrumental in getting the dominant play on both ends. Similar to his teammate Evan Mobley, the Cavs big man can sometimes disappear for stretches at a time. There will be no plays off with Harden supplying opportunities down low.
James Harden will bring out the best in Jarrett Allen for the Cavaliers
Ever since Harden emerged as a star with the Houston Rockets, his pick-and-roll partners have been better off for it. Allen (and Mobley by extension) should be more excited than anyobdy about his arrival in Cleveland.
The human element of basketball says that when you're getting touches on offense, it translates to all other facets of the floor. Just ask the Los Angeles Lakers and Deandre Ayton.
That aside, the Cavaliers also have a proven track record of being more successful when Allen is a big part of the offense. The win-loss column looks pretty good when the starting center for the Cavaliers is scoring.
Cleveland has posted a perfect 7-0 record when Allen has scored at least 20 points this season. Not a good enough sample size? Fine. In the 16 games Allen has dropped at least 15 points, the Cavaliers are 14-2.
By contrast, the Cavs are only 4-8 in games of their two-way center only registering single digits in the points department. Feeding Allen the ball is important, and now the Cavaliers have a guy who should be around with regularity and capable of doing just that.
The entire squad in Cleveland will get a lift from Harden's playmaking. Donovan Mitchell will get to focus on scoring. The sharpshooters will know catch-and-shoot opportunities are coming as well. However, even among all that, Allen may just be positioned better than anyone else to benefit.