CLEVELAND, Ohio — Since the Core Four went to the playoffs for the first time as a group, Jarrett Allen’s toughness and validity as a consistently dominant center in today’s NBA have been questioned league wide.
The one line Allen uttered three postseasons ago, “the lights were brighter than expected,” has followed him through every interview, every playoff series, every national talking point questioning whether the Cavs’ big man has the toughness to rise when the pressure ramps up.
Allen’s mental toughness will get tested again when the playoffs arrive, no doubt. That’s where reputations are rewritten or reinforced. But the physical part? That’s settled.
The 6-foot-9 center who anchors Cleveland’s defense has proved that he can take a hit and keep coming back for more.
On Wednesday night, Allen suited up in the Cavs’ throwback navy, wine and gold Classic Edition jerseys while wearing a splint around the fractured ring finger on his left hand. Surgery was an option. Rest was an option. He chose pain instead.
“They said I didn’t need it. That’s basically it. I don’t want surgery on it,” Allen said about his injury.
“The first thing [the medical team] said is if I didn’t need it, if I didn’t want it, I didn’t have to do it. So [I] didn’t go for it.”
Allen understands how much the Cavs rely on him every night, and he’s shown that he’s willing to put his body on the line for the guys next to him.
Even as the pain flared on certain possessions, Allen pushed through, logging more than 29 minutes against the Sixers with 24 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocks, outperforming one of the league’s most punishing rebounders in Andre Drummond.
“I feel like this is my job to be out there for my teammates,” Allen said after his return following a two-game absence. “My finger, it hurt pretty bad, but it didn’t hurt bad enough where I feel like I couldn’t contribute. And it honestly feels a little weird taking games off and not being out there. So I just gave what I had. ... I have enough in me to go out there and play.
“Some plays where the ball was coming at me and I had to catch it with my left hand, any type of large hit to my left hand is definitely going to take me out for a second. But it wasn’t too, too bad. Just trying to figure out a way to work around it, a way to make sure that I’m not putting it in a vulnerable situation and play through it.”
Cavs vs. Pacers Game 4
Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen battles for the ball between Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) and forward Pascal Siakam in the first half of Game 4 in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)AP
I’ll admit, I have been one of the critics. After Cleveland’s most recent flameout against the Pacers, I questioned if Allen could stay mentally engaged for an entire postseason run.
He started that series as one of the most influential players on the floor through the first three games, setting the tone defensively and making his presence felt offensively.
But in those final two games — the ones that decided Cleveland’s season — he disappeared. It wasn’t just the numbers. It was how one play in each of those games seemed to knock him off rhythm, and once that switch flipped, his confidence followed. His physical presence diminished as his mental focus wavered. It wasn’t that he couldn’t compete. He got stuck inside his own head, and it showed.
Ahead of the Cavs’ first-round playoff series against the Magic in 2024, Allen had a quote that still sticks with me:
“For me, it’s mental. I feel like my body is always gonna be good. I take time to take care of that. It’s just for me, keeping my mental game right.”
It perfectly explains the internal battle he’s been fighting. It’s an area where he’s still growing.
Being a big man in this league means getting hit every possession. There’s no play off. Every screen, every roll, every rebound, he’s taking a shot to the ribs or a different extremity. It won’t show in the box score, but Allen is constantly banging bodies, absorbing contact, setting up everyone else to succeed. That’s how he got a pierced rib in the first place.
And his value to Cleveland is through his engagement on both ends of the floor and his energy. So he can’t check out for a second or everyone will notice.
It’s part of his job, but most people don’t appreciate how much of a challenge it really is.
Truthfully, that conversation about toughness hasn’t just been about Allen. It’s hovered over this entire team.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks in round 1 of playoffs, April 15, 2023
Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (R) and New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson battle for a rebound n the first half of round one, game one in NBA playoffs, April 15, 2023, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.John Kuntz, cleveland.com
The Cavs have spent the past three years trying to shed the “soft” label that has clung to them after the Knicks series in 2023. They’ve talked about it openly — about being first to the hit, about playing through contact, about staying composed when the game turns physical or when mental fatigue settles in. But for all the talk, none of it sticks unless it starts with the man in the middle.
Allen is that heartbeat. He’s the first to absorb contact, and the one setting the tone for what kind of team Cleveland wants to be.
And his teammates see it.
“He’s phenomenal. He doesn’t get enough credit. The credit that he deserves,” Donovan Mitchell said. “The world focuses on his quote from the Knicks series, and he doesn’t care, but like, he shouldn’t. ... This dude is really important to what we do. And to see him have nights like tonight is just big time. I hate the fact that he gets crap for that. Like, this man, he’s grown each and every year that I’ve been here. He’s a joy to play with, a joy to be around. And he’s a hell of a player, hell of a person.”
It’s easy for outsiders to question toughness when they only see the box score. But inside the organization, Allen’s commitment is appreciated heavily.
This is the same player who tried to return after piercing his rib in the Orlando series two postseasons ago. The same player who appeared in all 91 games last season. Eighty-two in the regular season, nine in the playoffs.
“Anyone can find what they want to find, but I would say that’s not the guy you want to question,” Sam Merrill added about Allen. “He’s a tough guy, and he’s up for the challenge. He’s literally got a broken finger, and he’s just out there playing.”
Availability is a skill. Durability is a mentality. And this year, Allen is focused on keeping his mental toughness sharp for when it matters most.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Milwaukee Bucks
Basketball: Cleveland Cavaliers Jarrett Allen(31) and Evan Mobley (4) in action, high five each other vs Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Milwaukee, WI 3/9/2025 CREDIT: David E. Klutho (Photo by David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X164688 TK1)Sports Illustrated via Getty Ima
And just eight games into the season, the numbers tell the story better than any opinion could.
With Allen on the court, the Cavs have a net rating of plus-14.5. With him off, that number drops to negative-8.9. That’s how much he matters.
Allen’s version of toughness isn’t loud. It’s not for cameras or quotes. It’s in the small things. Sliding over to protect the rim on a bad rotation, setting a hard screen, boxing out through pain because it’s what the possession demands.
He doesn’t have to flex to prove he’s tough. He just has to keep showing up.
And for a Cavaliers team trying to redefine its playoff destiny, Allen’s perseverance will be crucial. The team’s ability to take a punch and stay standing starts with him.
The postseason will decide a lot — whether the Cavs can finally break through, whether Allen can erase that old perception. But when it comes to physical toughness, the evidence is already there.
He’s playing hurt. He’s playing through the noise of his past while not allowing ancient history to define him. That’s not softness. That’s strength. It’s time everyone starts calling it what it is.
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