The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the most talked-about backcourts in the NBA with the pairing of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. Unfortunately for them, the rest of the league knows how powerful that duo can be. That’s why other teams do all they can to swamp Mitchell and Harden and attempt to minimize them.
On Wednesday, that’s what the Knicks tried to do. But the Cavs had a plan during that game, with Mitchell and Harden passing the ball to their big man.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t Evan Mobley down in the paint looking to keep the offense alive – it was Jarrett Allen. Speaking about Allen, Chris Fedor said that he could be a key piece in late-game situations moving forward.
The team has relied on Mobley often, but maybe they should put more responsibilities on Mobley because he knows how to work well when Mitchell and Harden are being suffocated by opponents.
“Jarrett Allen was the one who got to play 4-on-3, not necessarily Evan Mobley. So that’s another adjustment. Jarrett’s got that in his game, and I think he’s better at that than Evan at this stage of his career,” Fedor said. “I would just love to see what would happen if it was Evan on the bench in a late game situation. Why does it always have to be Jarrett, Jarrett or somebody else as the debate, can’t it be Evan or somebody else?”
Allen was very productive in the fourth quarter, putting up seven points and grabbing four rebounds. He was an important part of Cleveland overtaking the Knicks, 115-107.
Allen is older and more experienced than Mobley. When he receives the ball, he isn’t afraid to attack and attempt to put up a bucket. Mobley can score too, but it sometimes feels like he is always looking to whip the ball back out to an outside shooter. If he could put on more pressure in the paint and fight his way to the basket, the Cavs could find an advantage when so much of the opposing team is focused on Mitchell and Harden.
Perhaps that will be something Mobley will work on moving forward. Or perhaps Kenny Atkinson will turn to Allen more often during the fourth quarter.
It worked well on Wednesday, and it may work well again soon.
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