Nine points. Four rebounds. One steal. Two turnovers.
That was the mediocre stat line produced by Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, a fringe All-Star candidate this season and the starting center for a 64-win team. For the second time in three years, Allen was unable to match the level of play needed in the playoffs. The year in between he didn't play due to injury.
The Cavaliers did not lose their second-round playoff series to the Indiana Pacers because Jarrett Allen played poorly. They lost because Darius Garland was so injured that he missed the first two games and was a shell of himself in the next three. They lost because the Pacers had positive shooting luck and the Cavaliers went cold. If you want to point to a single player, Ty Jerome's performance was abysmal.
Jarrett Allen has not been enough
Yet for all that this franchise loves Jarrett Allen, and have built a contender with Allen as a tentpole star, the playoffs have also shown that he does not elevate his game in the postseason. When the lights are bright Allen is merely good, not great. To use the parlance of a hated rival, Draymond Green, Jarrett Allen might just be an 82-game player, not a 16-game player.
In the regular season, his steady play, strong interior defense and efficient finishing help to maintain their offensive engine. The Cavaliers had one of the best offenses in league history this season, and Allen played a key role. Not the most important role, but he was a strong presence at center as a roller and play finisher.
In the playoffs, however, Allen's role shrinks, his steadiness becomes a lack of intensity, and he is consistently losing the battle to secure rebounds. Against Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson, such a loss is more understandable. Against Myles Turner, no one's idea of an elite boardsman, the loss is inexcusable.
For all that Evan Mobley has elevated his game to become a Top-20 player in the NBA, the Defensive Player of the Year and an improved offensive force at all three levels, his one area that requires significant growth is as a rebounder. The Cavaliers' small guards are not plus rebounders. Max Strus is undersized at the 3. De'Andre Hunter is not inhaling rebounds coming off the bench.
The Cavaliers need their center to be inhaling rebounds, and for a dozen games a year, Allen fits the bill. Otherwise, he is merely fine in that area, which works in the regular season and is not enough in the playoffs. For this particular team, Allen's weaknesses are exacerbated by his team, and his strengths are not elevating them where needed.
It's time for a new path for the Cavaliers
Koby Altman and the front office could decide to stay the course; this team won 64 games, after all, and with a healthy Darius Garland would have played a very different series against the Pacers. If Garland's toe is not injured, they might be favored against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals right now and on track to reach the NBA Finals.
Yet years of speculation and rumors and trade negotiations could all come to fruition this summer, and the team could move on from Jarrett Allen. There are a number of teams in need of a solid starting center. There are a number of stars that the Cavs could set their eyes on, or they could pivot in the other direction and turn Allen into two solid players at two different positions.
Everything seems pointed to a change this summer, and Jarrett Allen is the name at the top of the list. If that is the case, then nine points, four rebounds and two turnovers will prove to be his final game for the franchise. That's a tough way to go out.