For years, Cleveland Cavaliers fans have had a love-hate relationship with Jarrett Allen. They love him in the regular season but seem to resent him in the playoffs, and, to be fair, it's hard to argue with that logic.
Allen, the same guy who went viral for admitting that the lights were brighter in the playoffs than he thought, has had some rough outings in the postseason. He's been borderline unplayable at times, lacking character and physicality and a liability on the perimeter.
Ironically, though, he's also the team's X-factor. The Cavs have been much better when he's been aggressive on both ends of the floor, and just like NBA analysts Zach Lowe and Kirk Goldsberry discussed, he can almost single-handedly make or break this team's playoff chances.
The Cavaliers need the best version of Jarrett Allen in the playoffs
"He hasn't been a great postseason player," Goldsberry said. "... But if he can snap into form, and let Evan Mobley roam around and be the free-range, free-safety type defender, I think Cleveland could be who they thought they were gonna be this season."
Throughout the course of his career, Allen has averaged 12.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, one steal and block on 65.3 percent from the floor in 27 playoff games. He's started all of them, and he owns a 9-18 record in those situations.
Notably, those numbers aren't that far off from his career averages of 13.1 points, 9.2 rebounds,1.7 assists, 0.7 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game on 63.8 shooting. That said, there are ways and ways to play, and he just hasn't been the same after the regular season.
Allen is the type of player who can either dominate or be run out of the court, depending on how locked in he is and how things go for him early in the game. That's why feeding him early on would be so crucial for Kenny Atkinson's team.
His chemistry with James Harden in the pick and roll has been seamless, and while he doesn't seem to be fully healthy anymore, he's been much more aggressive as a hard-roller, slasher, and post player since Harden arrived. That's the player this team needs in the postseason.
Even if he's not much of an offensive factor this time, Allen must understand that he can also affect the game in different ways. They need him to set good and strong picks, dominate the offensive glass, and swat shots out to the third row. They don't need him to do it all, but they can't afford him to be a total no-show.
Allen, just like this Cavs team, has the ultimate opportunity to redeem himself. But if that's not the case, it will just be impossible to keep defending him or advocating for him to stay on the roster for another season.
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