Jarrett Allen will be Cavs' X-factor in Toronto series

Over the last two offseasons, fans and media alike were ready to ship off Jarrett Allen to parts unknown. The knowledgeable fans, however, realize just how critical he is to the Cavaliers' success. The 6-foot-11, 248-pounder anchors Cleveland's defense, is the team's best defensive rebounder and can score in the post. Tendinitis in Allen's right knee slowed him down in the late going of the season, but he'll be in the starting lineup for Game 1 of the Cavs' first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors. Allen will square off against Raptors center Jakob Poeltl, a 7-1, 260-pounder from Vienna, Austria. Poeltl missed 21 games with a torn ligament in his left little finger and averaged 10.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists and shot .700 from the field in 46 games. Allen knows full well about finger problems. He missed two games with a fractured left ring finger and later strained his right middle finger, which caused him to sit out nine games. Allen was limited to 56 games this season after playing all 82 in 2024-25. He averaged 15.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting .638 from the field. Allen's right knee is reason for concern at the moment. He missed 10 games with tendinitis and four more with injury management to close the regular season. "I'm great," he said recently. "They held me out to try to manage my knee." Late in the season, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said Allen was "going through some stuff. There's a reason he missed those games." The Cavs managed Allen's minutes down the stretch of the season. Injuries plagued Cleveland all season. Atkinson said the so-called core four of Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Allen played a total of 76 minutes together during the 82-game regular season. "I would have loved to see more than a sample size," Atkinson said. "We needed more minutes together to get a better feel on both ends." Having both bigs available gives the Cavs a big boost. The Cavs coach called Allen a "defensive stopper" and "rim protector." "It gives us a feeling of being whole again," Atkinson said. Cleveland (52-30) finished the regular season winning 11 of its last 14 games. Much of that success is traced to the acquisition of James Harden, who came from the Los Angeles Clippers at the deadline for Darius Garland. "He's so refined in his game," Allen said. "He knows how to find everyone on the floor." One thing Harden does is find his big men early and often. "When you have a pick-and-roll player — one of the best to ever play this game — it opens up my game more," Allen said. Harden referred to Allen as an athletic rim runner. "He brings us size, rebounding … all the attributes that we were missing," he said. Allen said the Cavs have great chemistry and camaraderie heading into the postseason. Many in the media expected a lot more from Cleveland this year after its 64-win season in 2024-25. "(It was a) rollercoaster," Allen said. "It went every which way — up, down, sideways. "We just have to believe in ourselves at the end of the day. We just have to not listen to the hearsay out there." Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.