The Cleveland Cavaliers have gotten off to an incredible start to the 2024-25 season, although they seem to have been hitting the brakes as of late. The Cavs have lost two of their past three games, including a demolition at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night — an uncharacteristically poor performance in a season full of signs that they might be on their way to contending for a championship.
At this point, the Cavs may simply be going through some midseason blues, which is part of an 82-game regular-season grind. Regardless, they will not want to get used to this kind of malaise, with Charles Barkley imploring them to get back to being at their best — which means that Jarrett Allen is going to have to play a central role in getting them right back on track.
I’ve said it for years, the key to the Cavs is Jarrett Allen. He is one of the best underrated big men in the league,” Barkley said on TNT’s Inside the NBA.
Barkley, however, believes that Allen has more room to assert himself as a bigger weapon for the Cavs, as he has the athletic gifts and the strength to be a dominant big man in the association.
But he’s a passive guy. This kid, if he had a motor, he’s just a really nice guy. He don’t have that dawg in him. I want to see him and Evan Mobley dominate,” Barkley added.
