CLEVELAND, Ohio — There are few players around the NBA who, in a pregame interview, will casually joke about reading the dictionary twice — so much so that reporters pause to ask if it’s true.
While Jarrett Allen hasn’t actually read the dictionary cover to cover, it wouldn’t be surprising if he added it to his reading list. That’s just the type of person the Cavs' 6-foot-9 center is.
Allen isn’t flashy. He’s not hunting highlight plays. He just wants to be consistent and reliable when his team needs him.
Just before the Cavaliers’ first-round series against the Orlando Magic began, Allen made a statement that would backfire.
“[I’m] a little drained,” Allen admitted. “I’m always good physically. 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.”
That’s why it gnawed at him to be sidelined just four games into the playoffs with a cracked rib — an injury that kept him out for the rest of the series against the Magic and the Eastern Conference semifinals against the eventual champion Boston Celtics.
This season, Allen is making a point, aiming to join the exclusive club of players who log all 82 games in the grueling NBA season. And, more importantly, being available for his team.
While Cleveland’s center has said he simply likes the number, it also seems like an unspoken response to a lingering misconception — that he doesn’t care enough about basketball.
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For most of the Cavs’ historic 2024-25 campaign, Allen has been one of their most dependable pieces.
Playing under former coach Kenny Atkinson has reestablished a level of trust, allowing for tough but productive conversations about the 26-year-old’s role.
That conviction has led to a strategic balancing act.
Atkinson has occasionally pulled Allen from late-game lineups, not as a slight, but to maximize matchups and allow rising star Evan Mobley to shine.
However, there have also been plenty of nights when Atkinson has leaned heavily on Allen, relying on his energy to lift the team. Whether through rebounding, defense, or timely scoring, Allen has repeatedly helped the Cavs claw their way back into games.
“The person, I think, always stands out first,” Atkinson said when asked what he appreciates most about Allen, who he coached during his rookie season with the Brooklyn Nets. “The person and then the teammate he is. And I guess the third thing, he’s coachable. When you have those characteristics, that’s part of our winning. He’s a big part of it and selfless beyond necessary.
“Even when I take him out of the game, it’s like, man, always positive. The next game, he comes out and has a great performance. And the talent is enormous.”
But the added pressure of being on the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 team hasn’t changed Allen. It never could.
“Some people feel like they gotta be in the gym for a couple extra hours to try to get their mind right. Mine’s just trying to find a balance between the two,” Allen said on March 11, ahead of the Cavs' game against Brooklyn, the team that drafted him. “Whether it’s going out to a coffee shop, reading a book, doing something just to get my mind away from basketball. It just helps me reset to lock in later.”
Until late in high school, basketball wasn’t Allen’s main focus. He didn’t play AAU. Instead, he was more interested in computers — building his own — and cultivating hobbies that still bring him joy.
“I feel like it started with that stuff, and then the basketball came later, honestly,” Allen said. “It’s just things that I love, exploring the world and figuring out new things.”
Most McDonald’s All-Americans and top-15 recruits commit to college well before graduating. Allen, however, waited until June 2016 to choose Texas, joining his new teammates just months later.
Still, basketball ran in Allen’s family. His father, Leonard Allen Sr., was a 6-foot-10 big man for San Diego State and was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in the third round of the 1985 NBA Draft.
The notion that Allen lacked the passion of players who fought their entire lives to reach the NBA started back in college. As a freshman at Texas, NBA scouts questioned whether his broad range of interests meant basketball wasn’t his priority.
“Jarrett, the rap on him coming out of college was that he didn’t love basketball,” Atkinson recalled. “That kind of scared some people away, and that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I think he’s just got a lot of other interests, right? He’s an intellectual guy, smart guy, reads a ton, plays all the video games. But I don’t think you should underestimate his toughness and grit. And I think that’s growing.”
Even though basketball wasn’t his first love, Allen has embraced the platform it provides.
In November, he hosted his eighth annual Meals + Math Thanksgiving event — this year at a Cleveland Giant Eagle — continuing a tradition he started as a Brooklyn rookie.
The event, which blends holiday giving with financial education, provided 25 children from the Urban Community School and their families with Thanksgiving groceries via $200 Giant Eagle gift cards.
“For me, it’s always more than basketball,” Allen reflected. “Basketball is a part of my life, but it’s not who I am. It’s not who I try to strive to be in the public eye. I want to be somebody known to give back, somebody known to support the community.”
Allen isn’t just a towering presence on the court — he’s a walking beam of light, radiating warmth with every fist bump and easygoing grin.
At Rocket Arena, he’s as likely to chat about his latest read as he is to break down a pick-and-roll, treating janitors, security guards, and front-office staff with the same genuine kindness he shows his teammates.
A coffee adventure when in a different city isn’t just a routine stop for him — it’s a chance to connect, to brighten someone’s day with a thoughtful question or a shared laugh.
Allen’s latest reprieve came during the Cavs' brief trip to Nashville before their game against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 14. His personality was perfectly captured in a photo of him standing 75 steps above the football field at FirstBank Stadium, watching his teammates play a game at Vanderbilt. Simply soaking in the rays, the views and the time to himself.
In a league full of superstars, Allen’s superpower is simple: making everyone around him feel seen.
While Allen may see basketball as just one part of his life, his role on this Cavaliers team has never been more vital. He blends his outside interests with a growing passion for elevating his teammates and pushing the Cavs to their full potential.
And whether or not he ever gets around to reading the dictionary, the book on Allen is already being written — one of steadfastness, balance, and impact far beyond the box score.