Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen Receives All-Defensive Team Votes For Stellar Season

In a season where just three Cleveland Cavaliers played 70+ games, Jarrett Allen stepped up in a big way, especially with his presence on the defensive end of the floor.

The NBA All-Defensive Team is reserved for the most consistently effective defenders in the league. And with the recent switch to positionless voting, it makes being voted as a member of this group that much more exclusive.

On Monday, NBA Communications announced that Allen received 20 total points in the 2023-24 All-Defensive Team voting process. The 2022 NBA All-Star garnered one first-place vote (worth two points) and another 18 votes for second place (worth one point apiece).

However, these 20 points were not enough for Allen to make any of the 2023-24 NBA All-Defensive Teams. Four centers made the First Team in Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves), Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs), Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), and Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers).

Overall, the Cleveland big man finished 14th in voting, behind Luguentz Dort (34 points) and Chet Holmgren (21 points) of the Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as Kawhi Leonard (29 points) of the Los Angeles Clippers on the NBA’s de facto Honorable Mention list.

Just some of Allen’s defensive presence could be felt in the Cavaliers’ first two playoff games against the Orlando Magic before he eventually suffered a rib injury that made him miss the remainder of the team’s playoff run. The big man played a significant role in this span, recording a combined 26 defensive rebounds, four steals, and three blocks.

Allen averaged 1.1 blocks and 0.7 steals per game during the regular season, reaching these marks for the third consecutive campaign.