Jarrett Allen, the essential stage of the Cleveland rocket | NBA

“I feel like I’ve been here for three years and six months at the same time. It was a great time, I’m happy to have been welcomed with open arms. My teammates have been cheering me on this whole time and the city of Cleveland has been great. I love being here”.

January 14, 2021, the shock wave born of James Harden‘s desire to leave Houston notably had consequences for Jarrett Allen, suddenly dismissed from the Nets’ ambitious project to find the nascent “process” of the Cavs.

Brooklyn did not resist the temptation to associate “The Beard” with the Irving-Durant tandem, even if it meant sacrificing a 22-year-old pivot with impressive potential.

The action of the match, quite a symbol

Cleveland has washed its hands of it and realizes today how important this step was in the realization of its project, then improved by the Draft of Evan Mobley and the arrivals of Ricky Rubio and Lauri Markkanen last summer. .

Proof of this was given again tonight on the anniversary of his arrival in the Cavs jersey, since he was a permanent concern on both sides of the floor for the Spurs, beaten 114-109.

Essential element of the “Tall ball” put in place by JB Bickerstaff since the start of the season, Jarrett Allen made Jarrett Allen by compiling 17 points and 16 rebounds, with a new demonstration of force at the key on an alley-oop in high altitude sent by Darius Garland.

The action of the match since it allowed the Cavs to move to +5 less than two minutes from the end and quite a symbol since it highlighted its sense of timing and its verticality, its trademarks.

“He means a lot to our franchise. He does everything for us, he holds the defense, he is our watchdog and he is also an attacking dog. We are really happy to have him. He truly deserves every dollar the Cavs pay for him. He’s a great guy on and off the pitch. If he continues like this, he will be able to claim an additional $100 million.”, declared the MVP of the match, Darius Garland, in a nod to the contract of 100 million dollars over 5 years signed by his pivot during the offseason.

The “Jarratt Allen Addiction”

To sum up Jarrett Allen’s year at the Cavs, JB Bickerstaff used the word “dependency”, as the regular contribution of his pivot has become his trademark, stamped by his double-doubles, the pivot having signed his 22nd game 10 points, 10 rebounds or more this season.

“We became dependent on him. He’s a guy whose production we’ll get from him every game. He’s a guy who cares about the team more than himself, who has the determination to do whatever he can to help the team win. His job is not easy. When you’re fighting in the trenches every night, fighting, tearing yourself apart. We appreciate him a lot for that and we have a ton of respect for what he does.”, recalled his coach.

Jarrett Allen is in 7th place in the ranking of players who have achieved the most double-doubles this season. The pivot of the Cavs is rather in good company since it appears in particular just behind … James Harden (23 double-double).