Cavs big man Jarrett Allen wants to end reputation for lack of toughness

The knock on Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen continues to be his toughness — or lack thereof. Coach Kenny Atkinson said he believes the criticism is "unfair." He doesn't understand how a player who played all 91 games last year can be described as "soft." Obviously, the 6-foot-11, 248-pound Allen has skills as an offensive player and is by far the team's best rebounder. However, if one is looking for brute strength, look elsewhere. Allen led the NBA in field goal percentage last season at .706, the sixth consecutive season he's shot better than .600. He averaged 13.6 points, 9.7 rebounds (11th in NBA), 1.9 assists, 0.94 steals and 0.89 blocks. He also had a team-high 40 double-doubles, which ranked 10th in the NBA. There's pressure on the Cavs to advance further in the postseason this year, and Allen said the team has to "keep moving forward." "If you stop and sulk for too long, you're going to be left behind," he said. "At some point, we have to take another step and another step. "We have to just continue to build off last year. It didn't end like we wanted it to last year. We didn't make the strides that we were supposed to. This year, we have to come back better." Through all the ups and downs, Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman has kept the core four of Allen, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell together. "He believes in us," Allen said. "He believes in what he's created, what he's built. He believes we can do something special moving forward. I feel like that's the way the league is going now. The last few championships have been from teams built from the ground up. The super teams are becoming less and less. You have to build with what you've got." The former Texas standout said it's important that he takes care of his body. "As I get up in years in this league — this is my ninth year — I have to make sure the small things in my body are good," Allen said. "The tendons in my knees, the tendons in my arms, every muscle in my core, I'm trying to make sure the minute things don't turn into big things." Altman made a few tweaks by trading for guard Lonzo Ball, signing Larry Nance Jr. and Thomas Bryant as free agents and drafting second-round pick Tyrese Proctor. Allen said he loves adding the veteran leadership from Ball and Nance. "(They were) huge additions," he said. "First, with their mind, they've been through it. They know how the NBA works. They are experienced players. They've been through hundreds of games. "Koby has done an excellent job of finding guys who fit into the mold of the locker room. He will make sure people mesh well. We have a good group of guys. We're here to win games." TIP-IN The Cavs (0-3) close out the preseason tonight against the Detroit Pistons at Rocket Arena. Strangely enough, Atkinson has never won a preseason game as Cleveland's head coach (0-7). Of course, he more than made up for the winless preseason in 2024-25 by winning 64 games in the regular season. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.