LeBron James’ former teammate, Cleveland Cavaliers’ Channing Frye, had a lot to say about Jarrett Allen’s playoff performance. Allen, one of the Cavaliers’ bright stars, was knocked out of the postseason after Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers shocked and beat them in five games.
Frye has since criticized Allen for not being a strong enough presence as a big man for his team. Allen, signed to a $90,720,000 contract, is not delivering per what he’s being paid in his eyes.
Channing Frye explained that Jarrett Allen is a solid talent. He has a strong finish when attacking the rim and can protect the paint when needed. However, his presence isn’t strong enough during the playoffs. Frye believes Allen is more of a regular-season star than a postseason menace.
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"Jarrett Allen is not a playoff big man," Channing Frye said. "He is not physically dominant, he is not aggressive. Is he a good dude? Absolutely. Is he a great regular season All-Star-caliber player? Absolutely. ... He is a great NBA player... But if you want to win a chip, no other big man respects him."
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A closer look at why Channing Frye criticized Jarrett Allen
The Cleveland Cavaliers' postseason came to a disappointing close after the Indiana Pacers sent them home in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Cleveland was expected to go all the way, having established their dominance in the East. They had the conference's best record (64-18) with Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland leading the charge.
However, Mitchell and Garland had Jarrett Allen helping them. The Cavs big man had a solid regular season, averaging 13.5 points and 9.7 rebounds while shooting a career-high 70.6% from the field. With those numbers, expectations were high for Allen.
Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, Jarrett Allen was a no-show when they faced off against the Pacers in the semifinals. While Allen did have a couple of solid performances, it was towards the end when he failed to deliver.
Allen barely contributed in the last two games of the semifinals. In Game 4, the big man only added two points, two rebounds, one assist, and one block in 20 minutes of play. Come game five, Allen put up nine points, four rebounds and one steal in 30 minutes of play.
Due to these underwhelming performances, Channing Frye likely felt the need to hit Jarrett Allen with the hard truth.
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