https://youtu.be/zhzASSEwLLA
If Andre Drummond hadn’t already been scratched from the lineup and openly put onto the trade market before this game, he definitely would have after it. Jarrett Allen’s dominant 26-point, 17-rebound effort with not a single missed shot to be found (he was 11-of-11) was spectacular enough that even the most backwards-thinking GM would think to themselves, “hey, we should build around this guy instead of that other guy.”
We already knew that Drummond and his empty stats and his clanktastic hook shots and his misguided desire to be Nikola Jokic were done in Cleveland. All this game does is prove that, for once, the Cavs front office made a correct personnel decision, something they have not done very often in recent memory, even going as far back as LeBron’s first stint with them. Allen doesn’t really have “superstar” potential, at most he could sneak into one or two All-Star games Tyson Chandler style, but Drummond doesn’t have “superstar” potential either and he has a bad attitude to boot, so the choice is obvious.
Fun statistical sidenote: 11-of-11 is the most shots without a miss so far this season, and it’s not very close (some players went 7-of-7, but this is FOUR ENTIRE SHOTS more than that). Secondary fun statistical sidenote: Andre Drummond’s best 100% shooting game in his career was an 8-of-8 outing once upon the time for the Pistons. Fun transactional sidenote: it’s not too late for the Cavs to reacquire John Henson to serve as a valuable mentor for the young Allen. Do you really trust JaVale McGee to be that mentor? I don’t know if I trust him.