Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen Receives All-Defensive Team Votes For Stellar Season

The Cleveland center received votes for the 2023-24 NBA All-Defensive Team after another strong showing for the Wine and Gold.

Logan Potosky | May 22, 2024

Apr 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) blocks a shot by Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) in the fourth quarter during game two of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

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Cleveland Cavaliers

In a season where just three Cleveland Cavaliers played 70+ games, Jarrett Allen stepped up in a big way, especially with his presence on the defensive end of the floor.

The NBA All-Defensive Team is reserved for the most consistently effective defenders in the league. And with the recent switch to positionless voting, it makes being voted as a member of this group that much more exclusive.

On Monday, NBA Communications announced that Allen received 20 total points in the 2023-24 All-Defensive Team voting process. The 2022 NBA All-Star garnered one first-place vote (worth two points) and another 18 votes for second place (worth one point apiece).

However, these 20 points were not enough for Allen to make any of the 2023-24 NBA All-Defensive Teams. Four centers made the First Team in Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves), Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs), Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), and Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers).

Apr 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) blocks a shot by Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) in the fourth quarter during game two of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Overall, the Cleveland big man finished 14th in voting, behind Luguentz Dort (34 points) and Chet Holmgren (21 points) of the Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as Kawhi Leonard (29 points) of the Los Angeles Clippers on the NBA’s de facto Honorable Mention list.

Just some of Allen’s defensive presence could be felt in the Cavaliers’ first two playoff games against the Orlando Magic before he eventually suffered a rib injury that made him miss the remainder of the team’s playoff run. The big man played a significant role in this span, recording a combined 26 defensive rebounds, four steals, and three blocks.

Allen averaged 1.1 blocks and 0.7 steals per game during the regular season, reaching these marks for the third consecutive campaign.

Published May 22, 2024

LOGAN POTOSKY

Logan Potosky is an aspiring play-by-play sports broadcaster who, to date, has called approximately 350+ hours of professional, college, and high school sporting events. He is currently the Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Lake County Captains, the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. He graduated from John Carroll University in May of 2023 with a degree in Communication, with a concentration in Digital Media, and a minor in Entrepreneurship.