Jarrett Allen not named to either All-Defensive team

Allen’s fantastic defensive season goes unawarded.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ center Jarrett Allen was not named to either of the NBA’s 2024 All-Defensive teams. The shift to positionless voting allowed for four traditional centers to make First-Team All-Defense but Allen ultimately fell short of joining his peers.

Headlining the group is Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, alongside Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis and rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama. New Orleans forward Herb Jones was the only non-center to make All-Defensive First Team this season.

Allen was 14th in All-Defensive voting with one First Team vote and 18 Second Team votes.

Allen’s absence from the list should not subtract from the phenomenal defensive season he had. He served as Cleveland’s anchor for 77 games in a season where Evan Mobley — a member of last year’s All-Defensive squad — was sidelined for nearly half of his games. It’s safe to assume the Cavaliers would have been lost had it not been for Allen’s steady presence.

It was Allen who catapulted the Cavs to No. 1 in Defensive Rating during the stretch from December 2023 (Mobley’s injury) to the All-Star break. His control of the glass was a game-changer and his ability to deter attempts at the rim remained elite. At this time, Allen was firmly in the race for Defensive Player of the Year.

He likely fell out of the conversation in the back half of the season — when the Cavs plummeted to 25th in Defensive Rating as injuries began to take their toll. Allen was no longer able to hold down the fort and this late-season collapse is what cost him.

Allen kept the Cavs afloat during a pivotal moment when the season could have been torpedoed halfway through. His availability was abruptly cut short by a rib contusion in the playoffs but Allen’s contributions should be remembered as an overwhelming positive in a rather unpredictable year for the Cavaliers.