Jarrett Allen on fair expectations after 15-0 start: ‘I think we want to make it to the conference finals’

Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen revealed a realistic expectation for the Cavs in the 2024-25 season after they got off to a historic 15-0 start.

“I think we want to make it to the Conference Finals,” Allen told HoopsHype. “I think that’s the expectation for everybody around the league. Put the floor there. I think we’re a good enough team that if we play consistent enough, our bench is deep enough, and we have our starting lineup that’s pretty good. With all of this coming together and Kenny as the head coach, I think we can take this thing far.”

The Cavs lost their first game of the season on Tuesday against the Boston Celtics, but they are still 16-1 on the season and have the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Allen is off to a fast start this season, averaging 14.4 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 68.5 percent from the field. Allen is one of the Cavs’ key core players along with Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.

The Cavs showed a ton of confidence in their core this offseason, as they gave new contract extensions to Mobley, Allen and Mitchell, tying them to the franchise for the long haul.

In fact, a lot of the team’s roster from last season is back for the 2024-25 season, with arguably the biggest change to the team coming in the coaching staff.

The Cavs hired Kenny Atkinson to replace J.B. Bickerstaff in the offseason, and Atkinson is already showing that a new voice may have been key for the Cavs success.

After making the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, the Cavs have a realistic chance to be one of the title contenders in the East in the 2024-25 campaign.

Last season, the Cavs made the second round of the playoffs, but they were eventually knocked out by the Celtics – who went on to win the title. In that second-round series, Cleveland didn’t have Allen at all, and Mitchell missed time as well.

Hopefully, Cleveland will be able to stay healthy in the 2024-25 season, and it already has a solid chance to land a top seed in the East since it has built a 2.5-game lead on the No. 2 seed (Boston) and a 5.5-game lead on the No. 3 seed (Orlando) at this point in the 2024-25 season.