Jarrett Allen's Old Coach On Underrated Skill: 'I Saw It Firsthand'

Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka praised Cleveland Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen on Monday before seeing his old Brooklyn Nets friend.

There's no question that Jarrett Allen has stepped up for the Cleveland Cavaliers with Darius Garland and Evan Mobley out due to injury. Even more so, during the team's latest homestand, it was necessary and effective.

Although the wine-and-gold dropped its last game to the New Orleans Pelicans on the second night of a back-to-back, the overlying theme for the team's offense was to establish Allen in the paint, and then, punish opponents from the outside.

Over the last four games, Allen has averaged 16.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. He had a 71.4 percent field-goal percentage on over 10 shots a night during that stretch, boasting a 19.4 percent usage rate.

Last Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks, who were down bodies in the frontcourt, Allen posted a 25-point, 14-rebound double-double to set the tone. Coming into Monday, Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka praised his offensive ability when afforded the opportunity to showcase it.

"I coached Jarrett briefly in Brooklyn before the [James Harden] trade, so I spent some time with him there. Obviously he’s really good at what he does," Udoka said prior to Houston's overtime loss in Cleveland. 

"I wouldn’t say he’s a back-to-the-basket offensive scorer per se, but a lob threat, pocket-pass guy in the middle who can make plays. When he does get it deep enough, he’s efficient with his hooks. And I think [he’s] underrated to some extent with his touch and things around the basket. I saw some of that first-hand. With guys out, he’ll get more opportunities."

Dec 18, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) looks to pass beside Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) in the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

As Mobley has a couple months of recovery ahead from his knee injury, Allen should continue be a focal point for the wine-and-gold inside.

"I feel like my shot's been just coming to me, especially playing with Max [Strus]," Allen said following Saturday's win vs. Atlanta. "He's great at finding the open man. He's great at creating for everybody. Especially Donovan [Mitchell]. He had 13 assists [on Saturday]. He was trying to find everybody.

"J.B. [Bickerstaff] said it, it's not our job to go out there and try to be Superman. It's not our job to go out there and try to make up for everything that's lost. It's just for us to try to find one area that we can improve in and try to help the team in."