The Cleveland Cavaliers were trending in the right direction after the trade deadline. They were one of the hottest teams in all of basketball, with Dennis Schroder providing an offensive spark off the bench, Keon Ellis playing stout defense, and James Harden pulling the strings of the offense.
Then, disaster struck. Schroder entered a shooting slump, and Jarrett Allen's knee injury hurt their defense. The big man's absence hasn't gone unnoticed, and it has once again shed light on how crucial he might be to this team's postseason aspirations.
That's why Allen's impending injury comeback is such a big deal. He's missed the past nine games after leaving the win over the Detroit Pistons three weeks ago, and according to ESPN insider Brian Windhorst, he's finally nearing a return to the court.
Jarret Allen is ramping up for his return with the Cavaliers
Allen has been a subject of debate among Cavs fans for years now. On the one hand, he's a hard-working, easy-going player who lightens up the mood and has proven to be a force on both sides of the glass when he's locked in.
On the other hand, he's been manhandled and played off the court in the playoffs and big games. He was often the odd man out in core four talks as a borderline All-Star, and his miscues were just too major to ignore.
However, not having him on the court has only shown how important he is for this team, especially on defense. According to Basketball Reference, the Cavs have a defensive rating of 112 when he's on the court.
Allen was playing the best basketball of his career before the injury. His newfound chemistry with Harden got him more wide-open looks than ever before. He was being much more aggressive, demanding the ball in the post, sealing defenders with his big body, and just looking to get involved in the flow of the offense early in the game.
The Cavs will have a somewhat easy schedule to close out the regular season, and it's hard to believe they won't get a top-four seed. As such, they need to use this final stretch to just get everybody on the same page and get the arrow trending up before the start of the playoffs.
They don't need to rush Allen back to the floor, but once he's there, getting his legs back under him should be the first order of business for Kenny Atkinson's coaching staff.