Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen is expected to make his return to the starting lineup, per head coach Kenny Atkinson in his pre-game press conference.<\/p>\n
It\u2019ll be the first time Allen has appeared in a game since early in the month, when he left their March 3rd game against the Detroit Pistons with what was initially described as a \u201cknocked knee\u201d. Turns out it was a little more serious than that.<\/p>\n
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The team expects Allen to play with a minutes restriction \u201cin the mid-20s\u201d, per Atkinson. The Cavs have missed Allen on both ends of the floor, with his paint protection and ability to finish efficiently at the rim on offense. His absence has made the Cavs more of a three-point shooting team, which does not play as well in the head coach\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis rim presence offensively, I think sometimes without him, we become too perimeter oriented,\u201d Atkinson said prior to the team\u2019s game against the Miami Heat. \u201cI hope we get some reps with this little runway to run with that big lineup, because that\u2019s our best lineup, and we haven\u2019t seen a lot of the combinations that can go around that,\u201d Atkinson continued. \u201cSo at least we\u2019ll get some games under our belt before the playoffs start.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cavs have been tinkering with different lineups all season, but with now single-digit regular season games remaining, it\u2019ll be important to get some consistency going. That goes for the defensive side of the ball as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cOpposing teams\u2019 rim attempts go down when he\u2019s in the game, he\u2019s like a seven-foot goalie \u2014 he just deters, guys don\u2019t want to challenge him,\u201d Atkinson said when asked about Allen\u2019s impact on what he himself has described as a subpar defense<\/a> of late.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cIt starts at the rim with him on both ends, I keep saying it, he\u2019s been the best rim protector in the league post All-Star.\u201d<\/p>\n