The Cleveland Cavaliers need to get healthy for the playoffs. Even if they've won most of their games since Jarrett Allen suffered a knee injury, they haven't been as efficient on defense, and some of those matchups against seemingly lesser teams have been closer than they should have.
Allen was playing the best basketball of his career before the injury. He was aggressive on offense, making the most of James Harden's pick-and-roll expertise and making his presence felt on both ends of the court.
That's why knowing that it won't be long before he gets back on the court is such a big break. In an appearance on Tony Rizzo's show on ESPN Cleveland Radio, insider Brian Windhorst revealed that the Cavs hope Allen can suit up on Friday.
Jarrett Allen might return to the court on Friday vs. the Miami Heat
"I have been told that they are hoping that he will be able to play on Friday," Windhorst said. "Not guaranteed that he will play Friday, but from what I'm told, they are hoping that Friday is the day when he returns."
The Cavs certainly could've used Allen in the first game of this two consecutive matchups with Erik Spoelstra's team. While the rebounding battle was pretty even (48 for Miami and 46 for Cleveland), the Heat scored 40 of their 120 points in the paint, including 10 second-chance points.
Evan Mobley is a great interior defender, but there's only so much he can do on his own. The Cavs give up a lot of size when Allen isn't on the court, and Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware combined for 21 rebounds in the win.
Allen is averaging 15.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and one steal per game on 63.6 percent from the floor. Per Basketball Reference, the Cavs have an offensive rating of 132 and a defensive rating of 112 with him on the court, so clearly, his impact goes way beyond the stat sheet.
Conversely, he also has a long history of falling short of expectations and not being physical enough in the playoffs. This might be the end of the line for him if that's the case again this season, especially after watching him be much more aggressive before his injury.
The Cavs have nine games left in the regular season, so he should have more than enough time to get his legs back under him and get off to full speed in time for when it matters the most.