In light of the hamstring injury to 76ers guard James Harden, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen will be assuming his place in the NBA All-Star Game.
It stung to see LeBron leave Cleveland (again) for Los Angeles, but this All-Star Weekend, Cavs fans now have a reason to cheer on Team LeBron despite his departure.
Even though LeBron selected James Harden to be the final member of his team, Harden’s recent hamstring injury is keeping him out of the All-Star Game on Feb. 20. His replacement is Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen.
Cavaliers send Jarrett Allen to replace James Harden on All-Star Team
It became a point of conversation when Durant made a pointed effort not to draft Harden, his former teammate, on his All-Star Squad. LeBron found it so amusing that he had to hide his laughter behind a clipboard as he selected Harden with the final spot.
Instead of the recently-traded 76ers guard, Team LeBron adds Allen to its All-Star cast, which includes Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Jokic, to name a few.
Allen will become an All-Star for the first time in his five-year NBA career. This year, Allen is averaging 16.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 66.5 percent from the field this season. Even before the 2021-22 season, Allen made FanSided’s list of the NBA’s 25 Under 25, coming in at No. 17.
Allen is a part of the reason the Cavaliers have climbed to third in Eastern Conference rankings, complimenting the offensive play of phenomenal rookie Evan Mobley on both offense and defense.
Interestingly enough, Allen was a part of the four-way trade package that sent Harden to the Nets from the Rockets. While Harden stole his roster spot from the Nets, Allen is now stealing his from the All-Star roster.