Cavaliers need Jarrett Allen to finally break his worst habit in the Playoffs

Jarrett Allen has clearly been on one of the best offensive runs of his career since James Harden joined the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In his first seven games alongside Harden, Allen is averaging 20.4 points and 11.3 rebounds on an excellent 76.7 percent from the field. On the season overall, Allen has averaged 14.8 points and 8.5 rebounds so far. Although the sample size is still fairly small, Harden's presence has clearly had a positive effect on Allen's game.

Harden, a master of the pick-and-roll, has immediately searched for opportunities to get Allen an easy look at the rim. Ahead of Harden's arrival, Allen was already seeing improved production after a long recovery from a broken finger, but he hit a new level in this seven-game stretch.

Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson praised Allen's recent surge after Cleveland's 109-94 win over the New York Knicks. In that game, Allen scored 19 points, blocked two shots and grabbed 10 rebounds (six defensive, four offensive). It was his best performance against the Knicks in recent seasons, especially on the boards.

Atkinson's comments highlight one of Allen's best traits. He is a true, bonafide team-first player and always looks for ways to impact the game. After years of Cleveland stumbling at the end of the regular season and into the Playoffs, Allen is seemingly taking it on himself to change that dynamic.

That recurring flaw, however, is something affecting Allen, too. The Cavaliers need to see a revamped, invigorated Allen in the postseason.

Cleveland cannot afford for Allen to disappear in the Playoffs

Allen, to his credit, always shows effort in every game he plays. He was the only Cavalier to play in all 82 games last regular season, and he also appeared in every postseason game.

Still, even when he has been available, Allen has struggled to show the same level of excellence in the postseaosn as he shows in the regular season. The Cavaliers have seen far too many undeniably spectacular stretches from Allen only to be left wondering where his tenacity and impact went once it matters the most.

In the 2023-24 season, Allen broke the franchise consecutive double-double record and enjoyed the best stretch of his career to that point. The year before that, Allen and Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers to a season-defining run in December and January with both Darius Garland and Evan Mobley sidlined with injuries.

Every season, the Cavaliers witness an excellent stretch from Allen. He has often carried most of that into the postseason, but he has also fallen short in key games. Neither Allen nor Mobley have been elite rebounders in the Playoffs, but the Cavs need Allen to keep his current momentum if they have any chance at an NBA Finals run.

Allen is undoubtedly a great center, but there is a reason he has been in trade rumors consistently and is a cause for concern for Cleveland's Playoffs hopes. Despite all of his talent, Cleveland knows the reality of seeing a great player lose mental fortitude when i

This stretch has proven that Jarrett Allen is a pivotal factor for the Cavaliers in the Harden era. If Allen continues to feast on the dishes from Harden, he forces defenses to collapse into the paint and leave shooters like Harden, Mitchell, Sam Merrill and Jaylon Tyson open on the perimeter. While many onlookers focus on adding more shooting on the arc, Allen provides spacing with his interior offensive gravity during these stretches.

If Allen can continue his positive trend into the postseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers may finally have the perfect formula to reach the Finals and challenge the Western Conference champions.