![\"Jarrett](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2264274862-e1775500670261.jpg\")
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Jarrett Allen reacts during a game for the Cleveland Cavaliers before returning to the lineup following knee injury management.<\/p>\n
The Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> are getting a key frontcourt piece back at a critical point in the season.<\/p>\n Jarrett Allen<\/a> is available<\/a> for Monday\u2019s game against the Memphis Grizzlies<\/a> after missing the front end of a back-to-back due to right knee injury management.<\/p>\n The return provides Cleveland with needed stability inside as the team continues to manage multiple injuries<\/a>, including stars Donovan Mitchell<\/a> and James Harden<\/a>, entering the final week of the regular season.<\/p>\n Allen Returns Amid Ongoing Knee Management<\/p>\n Allen has been dealing with lingering knee tendinitis, an issue that has required careful monitoring over the past several weeks.<\/p>\n The 6-foot-11 center acknowledged recently that he is still not fully recovered.<\/p>\n \u201cDefinitely still sore out there. Definitely not 100 percent,\u201d Allen told Cleveland.com<\/a> last week. \u201cI\u2019m not able to put a lot of pressure on my knee sometimes. Jumping and landing on the knee still hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n The injury dates back to early March and forced Allen to miss multiple games, with the Cavaliers opting to limit his minutes since his return.<\/p>\n Despite those limitations, Allen has remained productive when on the floor.<\/p>\n In Cleveland\u2019s recent loss to the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>, he scored 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting in just 19 minutes, showcasing his efficiency around the basket.<\/p>\n Thomas Bryant Steps Up in Allen\u2019s Absence<\/p>\n While Allen sat out Sunday, Thomas Bryant<\/a> took advantage of the opportunity.<\/p>\n Starting against his former team, the Indiana Pacers<\/a>, Bryant delivered 14 points and a team-high 10 rebounds in Cleveland\u2019s 117-108 win.<\/p>\n He punctuated the performance with a late dunk that effectively sealed the game, finishing off a double-double in his first start with the Cavaliers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt felt good to be able to do that, get that poster dunk, and also get the double-double along with it,\u201d Bryant said<\/a>. \u201cIt just brought a lot of joy to my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n The performance highlighted Cleveland\u2019s depth but also underscored the importance of having Allen available moving forward.<\/p>\n Cavaliers Balancing Health and Playoff Positioning<\/p>\n Cleveland enters the final stretch of the regular season with a 49-29 record, currently holding the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n With postseason positioning largely taking shape, the Cavaliers are prioritizing health \u2014 particularly for key contributors like Allen and Evan Mobley<\/a>, who is also managing a calf issue.<\/p>\n Coach Kenny Atkinson has indicated that the team does not expect to shut down players entirely before the playoffs, but careful workload management remains a priority.<\/p>\n Allen\u2019s situation will be closely monitored, especially given the physical demands of his role.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Allen said when asked about a timeline for full recovery. \u201cHopefully, it gets better. We\u2019ve been doing so much to make it get better \u2014 and it has \u2014, but I can\u2019t answer that question.\u201d<\/p>\n Frontcourt Stability Key to Cavaliers\u2019 Title Push<\/p>\n The Cavaliers\u2019 ambitions extend beyond the regular season.<\/p>\n After making significant roster moves \u2014 including a high-profile trade for James Harden \u2014 Cleveland is positioned as a contender in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n But Allen\u2019s health remains a central variable.<\/p>\n If he is limited or unavailable in the playoffs, Cleveland would likely lean more heavily on Mobley at center, with Bryant stepping into an expanded role.<\/p>\n For now, Allen\u2019s return offers a measure of reassurance.<\/p>\n The Cavaliers may not be pushing for a higher seed at all costs, but they are focused on entering the postseason with as much of their core intact as possible.<\/p>\n With only a handful of games remaining, the priority is clear \u2014 stay healthy, stay sharp and be ready when the playoffs begin.<\/p>\n Allen\u2019s availability on Monday is a step in that direction.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAlder Almo<\/a> is a veteran NBA reporter for Heavy.com, covering the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. He brings over 20 years of experience across local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Originally from the Philippines, he is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Cavaliers\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Jarrett Allen reacts during a game for the Cleveland Cavaliers before returning to the lineup following knee…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":701839,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3772],"tags":[7,306,305,193,3846,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-701838","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cleveland-cavaliers","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-cavaliers","10":"tag-cleveland","11":"tag-cleveland-cavaliers","12":"tag-clevelandcavaliers","13":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116359240411544314","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=701838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701838\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/701839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=701838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=701838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=701838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}