Cavs’ Jarrett Allen to Play? Unlikely, But It’s a Guessing Game

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — It was the day before the season-opener and Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen stuck around after practice, working on baby hook shots and other inside moves.

Allen was moving well, looking OK, not going too hard. But he wasn’t taking it incredibly easy, either. 

Allen suffered a left ankle bone bruise early in camp and missed the entire preseason. The Cavs open the 2023-24 regular season Wednesday at Brooklyn.

So, will Allen play? 

Yeah, your guess is as good as anyone’s.

“I don’t know,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said with a grin when asked if Allen went through a full practice on Tuesday. “Good question.”

These follow comments made by Bickerstaff on Monday. He said then that Allen would need to practice before playing in a game.

“It’s too difficult and too dangerous to not allow him the time,” Bickerstaff said.

That makes you think Allen won’t play Wednesday and will be very questionable for the home opener Friday vs. the Thunder. The Cavs host the Pacers on Saturday for an opening week back-to-back.

If Allen misses Wednesday’s game, we can assume he’ll miss the weekend, too. After that, the Cavs square off with the Knicks in a playoff rematch, Tuesday at home.

But from the looks and sounds of things, Allen is close. The Cavs are indeed playing it wisely but not rushing him back in a season that truly is an Ironman-like marathon.

Then again, if Allen is feeling OK, he will go, and that not only helps out power forward Evan Mobley, but newcomer Max Strus, and star guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.

For as much flak as Allen took for his performance vs. the Knicks in the playoffs, he doesn’t need the ball to make an impact and there’s no doubt about his ability to protect the basket. Allen and Mobley form the best one-two shot-altering punch in the NBA.

He makes a difference and without him, the Cavs have to change some stuff around, particularly defensively.

So is he going? Yeah, we will likely only know tomorrow.