Cleveland Cavaliers' Jarrett Allen said he initially hurt his finger during the second game of the NBA season.
Jarrett Allen played in all 82 games last season and 77 the year before. No matter what anyone says, he’s been available for the Cleveland Cavaliers when they’ve needed him.
So, when the center missed nine out of 10 games in November and into December, whatever he was dealing with must have been serious, and it was. During Cleveland’s practice on Tuesday, JA gave a little more insight into the injury that kept him sidelined, and it started well before he officially landed on the injury report.
“The first one happened, it was the second game of the season, where I sprained this finger against Brooklyn. That's been bothering me since then,” explained Allen. “That game before Boston, before the game, broke my left finger. So I've basically been playing with two hurt fingers on two different hands for the past month before I sat out.”
Not knowing that Allen was playing through injured fingers on each hand, his 14.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game don’t look as bad, and are certainly much more understandable.
Even though it appears Allen is past the initial injury, he said he still has a road ahead to get back to full strength. The primary hurdle Cleveland’s center now faces is getting back in shape and getting up to speed for the speed of an NBA game.
Nov 29, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) dribbles the ball in the game against the Atlanta Hawks during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images“At this point, it's just been recovery, trying to make sure that it can get back in shape, make sure that I don't reinjure it, and then set myself back even further,” said Allen.
“It's just been a lot of conditioning, a lot of waiting, a lot of trying to get ready to play again. That is the worst part about being hurt: the conditioning… This is the fast-paced league. It's hard to replicate what you're going to get in the game. Like the speed, the pick and rolls, everything guarding certain players.”
Even with Allen still trying to find his footing on the floor after the injury, his return to the Cavaliers’ lineup is definitely a welcome addition, especially with Evan Mobley not being sidelined for up to a month.
It’ll definitely take some time for Allen to get fully re-integrated, but the Cavaliers are still a much better team when he’s on the floor.