For years, Cleveland Cavaliers fans have debated about Jarrett Allen. On one hand, he's shown the potential to be a lockdown big, a glass-cleaning rebounder, and the type of player who can elevate this team from pretender to contender. On the other, he has a history of disappearing in big moments.
That's why watching him dominate and play the best basketball of his career in February may have changed the perception around him once and for all. Statistically speaking, he was the most impactful player in the game.
According to NBA.com's advanced metrics, the Cavaliers' big man led all players in Player Impact Estimate in February. His 20.5 PIE ranked higher than the likes of Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or Luka Doncic.
The bar is now higher for Jarrett Allen after a dream-like February
Despite being on the court for just 29.4 minutes a game, Allen averaged 22.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He shot 74.0 percent from the floor, and had an offensive rating of 151 and a defensive rating of 109, according to Basketball Reference.
That has to be the new standard for him. He's going to have more wide-open looks than ever before now that he has James Harden running the offense, and he has to keep this newly-found aggressive approach and mentality.
Allen became a bit of a laughing stock online when he admitted that the lights were a little too bright for him in the playoffs. All jokes aside, that was painfully evident again last season when he was borderline unplayable against the Indiana Pacers.
He may never be the bruising physical force some fans want him to be, and that's perfectly fine. However, he cannot allow other big men to outwork or outhustle him. He needs to keep attacking and demanding the ball like he's done in February.
The Cavaliers will take the remainder of the season as preparation for the playoffs. If they can catch up with the Detroit Pistons atop the Eastern Conference, so be it. If not, every single game will just be a testing board to figure out what works and what doesn't.
Clearly, they're a much better team when they get their big man involved in the offense early and often. Allen may not be a Jokic or Joel Embiid type of scorer, but if he can give this team a steady 20 and 10, few teams will pose a legitimate threat in a seven-game series.