Which Cavs player is the key to success according to an NBA legend?

10/07/2024 11:32 AM

The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off back-to-back playoff appearances as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. After they were knocked out in the first round in 2023, Cleveland made it past the opening round last season. Unfortunately, the Cavs ran into the eventual champions, the Boston Celtics, in the conference semifinals and were eliminated 4-1. The Cavs are looking ahead at the 2024-25 season with bigger goals. However, according to Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, the current Cleveland squad won’t get to the next level unless they unlock the potential of Jarrett Allen next to Donovan Mitchell.

"The one guy that drives me crazy, and I've been waitin' on him, I've been braggin' about this dude for five years, and he disappoints me every year: Jarrett Allen," Barkley said. "I thought he'd be a 20-10 guy and an All-Star by now. He should be the second option on that team, behind — he's the second-best player on that team. People automatically go to [Evan] Mobley.

"… When I watch them play, when Jarrett Allen plays well, that's when they play their best. They've got to do a much better job — it should be Donovan [Mitchell] and Jarrett Allen — one and two — and everybody else gets to eat after that.”

Why do the Cavs need to make Jarrett Allen their No. 2 option?

Barkley saying that Allen, not Mobley or even Darius Garland, is Cleveland’s best No. 2 option is bold. Allen, who happens to be a one-time All-Star, might not have averaged 20 points per game last season like Barkley seems to think he should have, but the 26-year-old is still on the heels of arguably his best season in the NBA so far. But the Hall of Fame big man continued his tirade on Allen, further driving his point home.

"… He's the only guy who gon' get you easy baskets because if you look at Donovan and [Darius] Garland, they're both undersized guards,” Barkley continued. “They have to work so hard. They use so much energy because they are so undersized. They're undersized on the defensive end, which wears them down even more. That's why I think they get hurt a lot of times. They have to be at full-blown energy all the time.

"But the other one guy who…I said, 'Man, this guy has so much talent. He has a great body. He can play against big guys. He's athletic enough to play wing guys, and he — they can't guard him in the post 'cause he's too big.' So, he's the one guy in my opinion that if Cleveland's going to ever get to the next level, it's gotta be him."

Allen averaged a career-high 16.5 points per contest in 77 games played with Cleveland in the 2023-24 regular season. Perhaps just as impressive as the sheer volume of points he racked up was the efficiency with which he put the ball through the hoop. Allen converted a remarkable 63.4 percent of his shots from the field on 10.6 field-goal attempts per game. To put his field-goal percentage in perspective, Daniel Gafford, Rudy Gobert, and Ivica Zubac were the lone three qualified players who shot a higher percentage from the floor a season ago.

What can Jarrett Allen do to have a more significant impact on the Cavs’ offense?

If Allen wants a more significant role on the offensive end of the floor moving forward, he has to expand his scoring repertoire. 478 of his 819 field-goal attempts during the 2023-24 regular season came directly at the rim. Allen also took only 24 shots from 16-plus feet away from the basket, with just four of those looks finding the bottom of the net.

One could argue that Allen's top priority heading into the new season should be staying healthy. He missed much of the Cavs' playoff run last season with a rib injury and didn't see the court against the Celtics. So, while Barkley wants Allen to put up 20-10, it might be best if Allen cedes offensive responsibilities elsewhere. Cleveland is already great when Allen is healthy and available. That alone is the more underrated part of his game and should be his primary focus this year.

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