The Cavs are going to need Jarrett Allen to really have a shot against the Hawks

Jarrett Allen may be back in time for the last play-in game the Cavaliers have.

It’s the finger injury that derailed a season, and it may finally be a thing of the past. Yes, Jarrett Allen is going to try and play against the Atlanta Hawks. This is a necessary thing for the Cleveland Cavaliers to have happen if they want to beat the Hawks. The Hawks are not as good as the Nets, not by a long shot, but the Cavs’ entire defensive scheme rolls from inside to out. If Allen and Evan Mobley are able to lock down the paint, with Lauri Markkanen and Isaac Okoro playing the edge of the perimeter, it really keeps the Cavs’ defense from being exposed.

Losing Allen derailed the entire team’s defense. That’s how important Allen is.

Now some people may say that Allen’s injury is why the team should’ve kept Andre Drummond, or re-signed Tristan Thompson but bear in mind they aren’t nearly as good as Allen. Drummond is an upgrade over Thompson, sure, but over Allen? Not even close. Allen is so good at playing defense, and the team’s decline after his injury is proof of that.

Not even Mobley is able to replace Allen. Partly because the team has no one that can replace Mobley with Dean Wade being out. While Wade isn’t as good as Mobley defensively, Wade is a very good piece.

Not having both of those men truly has hurt the team at points but the team was still winning with Allen in and Mobley out. That’s because the defense flows through Allen. If he can lock down the paint, that frees Mobley and Markkanen to be agitators on the wings. It’s a whole system that works specifically due to Allen’s ability to derail shot attempts; not just getting blocks.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will need all hands on deck to defeat the Hawks

It’s important to remember that the Hawks have struggled offensively but Trae Young is one of a kind. He’s the modern-day version of Allen Iverson with his game, but not as interior-focused offensively. His scoring volume, however, is very Iverson-like. You may not be able to stop him, heck you may not even be able to go shot for shot with him, but if you have Allen in the paint, that frees up so much of the team defensively, that you may be able to make him play in a box and cut off passing lanes to the rest of the team.

This is a very jump-shot-heavy team, and that means you need some clear passing lanes to get the shots off. If you have Allen and the rest of the Cavs’ defense back in mid-season form, as they were before Allen’s injury, then the team can not only take away looks that shooters get, but may be able to get back to altering a good shot into a bad shot, just by being near someone.

There’s a certain level of intimidation that comes with having Allen back, even if he’s more likely to be caught playing Pokemon on his Switch than doing anything nefarious or illegal. He’s a goofy, good-hearted, kind, honest dude.

Yet, he has earned the respect of those who play against him and if the Cavs want to beat the Hawks, he’s going to be needed more than ever.