Season in Review: The Bigs

After being the only Cavalier to play in all 82 games last year, Allen appeared in 56 contests this season. But in those 56 games – and specifically the 11 he played in February – Allen was rock-solid. 

Overall, the scion of the Cavaliers legend appeared in 35 games with Cleveland this year, including three starts, giving Kenny Atkinson a solid veteran voice on the bench and sturdy, dependable presence in his limited minutes of work on the floor. 

Earlier in the week, as Cavs.com breaks down the 2025-26 squad by position, we took a look back at the guards and forwards – position groups that morphed into something different as the season progressed. 

And while the backcourt added a future Hall of Famer and a pair of savvy vets and the forward group saw its starting 3 shipped to Sacramento at the Deadline, the Cavaliers collection of big men started the season and finished the season intact. 

Last summer, the team swapped out one beloved big man from its Finals era – Tristan Thompson – for another – Larry Nance Jr. – and signed a player who tormented them as an opponent earlier that spring – Thomas Bryant. But the two key pieces in the middle – Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley – were back in action and helped Cleveland reach its highest postseason peak since 2018. 

Next week, it’s time to start focusing on the 2026 Draft, which will be held at Barclays Center on June 23-24 – with the Wine & Gold holding the 29^th overall pick. But today, we take one last look back at the previous campaign, and how its group of bigs performed along the way. 

JARRETT ALLEN

Perhaps no other player’s performance is as closely linked with the team’s success as Jarrett Allen, and that was on display once again this past year. The numbers are simple: When Allen notched a double-double this season – regular season and playoffs – the Cavaliers were 18-5 (.782). Over the course of his career in Cleveland, the team is 143-51 (.737) when its affable big man doubles up. 

Overall, the 9^th-year big man from Texas averaged 15.4 PPG and 8.5 RPG, shooting .638 from the floor and .709 from the stripe. But he took his game to new heights during the month of February, averaging 22.3 PPG on 74 percent shooting, adding 11.5 RPG and 1.27 BPG with nine double-doubles in the mix – becoming the first Cavalier and first player in the NBA since Dwight Howard (Feb. 2007) to average at least 20.0 points and 10.0 boards on 70 percent shooting in a single month. 

To start that month, Allen posted a performance for the ages in a road win over Portland – finishing with 40 points (the first 40-point game of his career), adding a season-high 17 rebounds, a season-high-tying five assists, a season-best four blocks and a pair of steals without a single turnover on the night. 

Jarrett was very good in the postseason, notching 13 games with double-digit points and three double-doubles. Allen was specifically outstanding in Cleveland’s two respective Game 7 victories. In the deciding Game 7 win over Toronto, the 28-year-old tallied 22 points, 19 boards, three blocks and a pair of steals. In Game 7 against Detroit, he finished with 23 and 7. 

Defensively, Allen was just as good in the postseason. In 18 playoff games, he blocked 31 shots – 16 swats in the Toronto series alone – with 11 outings with multiple rejections. 

EVAN MOBLEY 

As good as Jarrett Allen was defensively in the postseason, Evan Mobley might have been even a little better. 

Averaging the second-highest blocked shot average in Cavs postseason history (1.71 BPG), last year’s DPOY rejected 32 shots over the course of Cleveland’s postseason run – with multiple blocks in nine straight games. In Cleveland’s Game 4 win over the Pistons, Mobley became the first Cavalier in team history to post five blocks and three steals in a single playoff game. 

Mobley also recorded three double-doubles during the Cavs recent postseason run, topping the 20-point plateau on five occasions – including a 26-point, 14-rebound effort in Cleveland’s Game 6 loss in Toronto. 

During the regular season, the 5^th-year man from USC averaged 18.2 PPG and 9.0 RPG (good for 9^th in the NBA), adding 3.6 APG and a career-best 1.74 BPG (4^th-best mark in the league). Along the way, Mobley also piled up team-high 27 double-doubles. The only other player to post those numbers this year – (at least 18.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 0.70 SPG and 1.70 BPG) – was Victor Wembanyama. 

From a historical perspective, Mobley because just the fourth Cavalier in team history to reach 5,000 points before turning 25 years old and earlier this season continued his climb up the franchise’s all-time blocks list – passing Tristan Thompson for 5^th on the list with 532. 

THOMAS BRYANT 

Heading into this past season, the team knew they had to get better at the backup big man spot – and the Cavs brass came through with flying colors when they inked Bryant to a free agent deal over the summer. 

A key piece to the Pacers incredible playoff push last spring, Bryant brought toughness and intensity to the post for Cleveland this year. Originally drafted by Utah back in 2017, Bryant averaged 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 60 appearances with the Wine & Gold. 

Despite getting just a single start, the rugged veteran from Indiana still managed to score double-figures on 17 occasions. In that lone start – an April win over his former squad, the Pacers, Bryant tallied his lone double-double of the season, finishing with 14 points, 10 boards and a blocked shot. 

LARRY NANCE JR. 

In a limited role in his 11^th NBA season – and second tour of duty with the Wine & Gold – Larry Nance Jr. notched double-figure scoring in three games this season: once in the regular season opener and one in the regular season finale.