Cavs center Jarrett Allen reveals an eye-opening admission after tallying 24 points and 17 rebounds against the Blazers, explaining his revitalized career at Cleveland.
During Allen’s first few years with the Nets, he averaged a little over 10 points per game. After being traded to Cleveland last season, he recognizes that the new environment headed by coach J.B. Bickerstaff may seem unusual but works for him at the end of the day.
Via cleveland.com
“I’m not used to getting plays called for me,” Allen said with a smile. “I asked for one. That’s unusual for me. But I asked (Bickerstaff) to give me one post-up and he said, ‘Scrap the play and give it to me.’ I was like, ‘OK, I need to do something with it.’ It just showed that he has confidence in the work I did over the summer and going forward.”
“I’ve probably had more post-ups this season than my whole career. That’s the honest to God truth,” Allen said. “Trying to find it in the flow of the offense. I don’t want to disrupt us to the point where I’m getting in people’s way. I just want to find my spot.”
True enough, Allen’s role with the Cavs is incredibly different from his time at Brooklyn. Back then, Allen would provide the hustle plays for the team with blocks, rebounds, and even eye-catching dunks. Although these plays contribute to the team, he wasn’t known to carry the squad offensively.
With the Cavs, Allen is averaging 14.4 points this season— significantly above his career average. Cavs fans should feel happy about Allen’s new attribute to his game. With back-to-back games scoring over 20 points, Jarrett Allen can serve as a new offensive weapon for the Cavs.