Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen suffered a fractured middle finger playing against the Toronto Raptors and has been ruled out indefinitely.
This is a huge unfortunate blow to the Cavaliers as Allen has been playing lights out this year. The center has been the backbone for the Cavs throughout the 2021-2022 season averaging over 32 minutes a game.
Allen is currently averaging 16 points per game along with 11 rebounds in his first full season as a Cavalier. He was also awarded his first all star appearance this year.
One of the top rebounders in the league, Allen is also shooting over 67% from the field. His plus minus is +148 – showing how valuable he is to this team.
He is an excellent rim protector as well as a solid scorer on the offensive end.
It is not for sure exactly how long Jarrett will be out with this injury but the Cavs are hopeful he will be back before the playoffs in about six weeks.
This injury could not have come at a worse time for Cleveland, who are in a tight battle for post season positioning. The Cavaliers are currently the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 37-27.
For the most part of the season the Cavaliers have been sitting around the 4-6 range in the Eastern standings battling with the Bulls, Raptors and Celtics for seeding. It will be interesting to see how they will play without one of their star players out for so long.
If the Cavaliers drop any further from their current standings they will need to participate in the play-in tournament.
The center position for the Cavaliers is now up for grabs. The Cavs will most likely turn to rookie center Evan Mobley and veteran Kevin Love to hold down the center position until Allen’s return.
Mobley is playing well this season averaging around 15 points and 8 rebounds per game. He is also averaging over 34 minutes per game. He played well the game when Allen went down scoring 20 points with 17 boards.
Love is averaging 14 points while grabbing 7 rebounds per game. He is only averaging roughly 22 minutes per game but should expect more with Allen out.
A true power forward, Love played a lot of minutes at center early in his Cleveland days back when LeBron was leading the team.
Ed Davis can possibly get some more playing time in the next six weeks as well.
Allen was initially ruled out due to a leg injury but it seems as both his legs are fine. Allen only played 10 minutes, scoring 6 points along with 2 rebounds against Toronto.
It is unknown exactly when during the game Allen injured his finger.
