JB Bickerstaff: Cavs’ Jarrett Allen ‘Progressing’ Toward Return

Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen is “progressing” toward a return from a broken finger, though there is still no exact date of when he may return, coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters.

“I can’t give you an exact timeline,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s doing more and more with that hand.”

It appears Allen will be out for the play-in tournament, though that’s mere speculation at this point.

“If he’s ready to go, he’ll go,” Bickerstaff answered when asked if Allen could be ready by Tuesday, via Tom Withers of the Associated Press.

Mostly, the Cavs are said to be hopeful that Allen will be available for the playoffs should they get that far.

Allen, 23, is 6-foot-11 and coming off the first All-Star Game appearance of his career. For the season, he is averaging 16.3 points and 10.9 rebounds in 56 games. He suffered the injury in a win over the Raptors on March 6. He also suffered a quad contusion in that game, though by all accounts, he has fully recovered from that.

Clearly, they have struggled without him, particularly on the defensive end.