Cavs' Jarrett Allen out at Least 2 Weeks with Ankle Injury Diagnosed as Bone Bruise

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced Saturday that center Jarrett Allen will miss at least the next two weeks with an ankle injury.

According to the team, Allen recently suffered a bone bruise in his left ankle during practice, and he will be re-evaluated in two weeks after going through rehabilitation and receiving treatment.

The Cavs will begin their preseason schedule Tuesday when they face the Atlanta Hawks, and their regular-season opener is a road clash with the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 25.

Allen spent parts of the first four seasons of his career with the Nets before getting traded to the Cavs in the four-team deal that sent James Harden from the Houston Rockets to Brooklyn.

In 2021-22, which was Allen's first full season in Cleveland, he was named an All-Star for the first time, as he averaged 16.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 blocks per game, while shooting 67.7 percent from the field.

Last season, Allen took a slight step back in terms of scoring, as the Cavs acquired All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz, and center Evan Mobley progressed in his second NBA season.

Still, Allen was a key performer, averaging 14.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 blocks, while shooting 64.4 percent from the floor.

The Cavaliers reached the playoffs last season with a 51-31 record, and if they are going to be postseason bound again, Allen figures to be a big reason why.

Along with Mitchell, Mobley and Darius Garland, Allen is part of Cleveland's core, and he is especially important due to his penchant for impacting the game at both ends of the floor.

Collectively, Allen and Mobley make up one of the NBA's best frontcourts, especially on defense, and they showed the past two seasons that they are more than capable of co-existing on the court at the same time.

If Allen is not able to heal up in time for the start of the 2023-24 regular season, it could mean more playing time for Damian Jones, Georges Niang, Dean Wade and Tristan Thompson alongside Mobley.