Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell seemingly saw it coming. Following the team’s second-round elimination from the 2025 NBA Playoffs, Mitchell stated in his exit interview that he expected the media to tear the team apart. His prediction has quickly been validated, as criticism has poured in from all angles after the Cavs failed to live up to lofty expectations.
Despite winning 64 games in the regular season—one of the best marks in the league—Cleveland was only able to muster a single win in a five-game series loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Cavaliers, who had steamrolled most of the conference during the season, were physically and mentally outmatched by a fearless and aggressive Indiana squad. The Pacers successfully disrupted Cleveland’s rhythm, forcing errors and reducing their cohesive, team-first offense to a series of inefficient one-on-one plays.
Mitchell, clearly frustrated, told reporters that he knew the media would “write us the [expletive] off.” Yet, he remained defiant, vowing that the team would use this failure as fuel for next season. However, this vow rang eerily familiar, echoing sentiments he expressed after Cleveland’s 2024 playoff loss to the Boston Celtics. That series, too, ended in disappointment — but this time, the Cavs had home-court advantage and were boasting a historically great offense. The repeat collapse has led many to wonder whether something fundamental is broken within the team.
Former Cavs Players Join the Chorus of Criticism
While criticism from media pundits is to be expected, the most biting assessments have come from surprising places — including Cleveland’s own NBA champions.
Channing Frye, a key role player from the 2016 Cavaliers championship team, has emerged as one of the most vocal critics. Though Frye wasn’t a headline star during the title run, his veteran leadership and floor spacing were critical in Cleveland’s postseason success. Now a co-host on the Road Trippin’ podcast with former teammate Richard Jefferson, Frye used the platform to issue a scathing critique of Jarrett Allen, the Cavaliers’ starting center.
“It’s really been bothering me… Jarrett Allen is not a playoff big man. That is my statement,” Frye said.
“He is not physically dominant. He is not physically aggressive. At some point, as the biggest dude on your team, you’ve gotta [expletive] somebody up.”
Frye didn’t stop there. He went on to highlight how opposing bigs—most notably Myles Turner of the Pacers—seemed to dominate Allen physically throughout the series. While Allen started the series with promise, his presence quickly faded. In the final two games, Allen managed just six total rebounds, while Turner pulled down 14 in the same stretch.
Despite the Cavaliers winning the overall rebounding battle in the series, they faltered in key moments, including allowing multiple offensive rebounds off missed free throws in a crushing Game 2 loss. Allen, who missed the entire second round of last year’s playoffs due to injury, was once again missing in action when his team needed him most.
Richard Jefferson Echoes the Concerns
Jefferson, another 2016 champion and now a national NBA analyst, added that the Cavaliers’ lack of physicality was not just a Jarrett Allen problem. He questioned whether this young core, as currently built, can develop the toughness required to win deep in the playoffs.
“If the Cavaliers aren’t going to be physical and aggressive as a young team, it’s hard to see them evolving,” Jefferson said.
This sentiment reflects a growing belief that the team, while talented, lacks the mental and physical resilience necessary for postseason success.
Is Frye’s Criticism Fair?
Frye’s pointed words about Allen raised a difficult but valid question: Is Jarrett Allen built for playoff basketball? The answer is complex.
Allen is far from a weak player. His skill set includes smart positioning, rim protection, and effective pick-and-roll play. However, he lacks the bruising physicality that defines many elite playoff big men. When matched up against a center like Myles Turner, who brings both physical aggression and offensive versatility, Allen struggles to assert himself.
The problem, however, may extend beyond Allen. Cleveland’s roster construction leaves him overly exposed. The Cavaliers often pair Allen with Evan Mobley, a young forward who excels with finesse, speed, and shiftiness rather than strength. Mobley is not a post-up threat, and Allen’s offensive game is reliant on lob passes, putbacks, and rolls to the rim. The backcourt, featuring small guards like Mitchell and Darius Garland, compounds the issue by placing more defensive and rebounding burden on Allen.
Though Cleveland has added more physical players to their rotation—such as De’Andre Hunter, who showed grit against the Pacers, and Isaac Okoro, a defensive specialist—the starting five remains undersized and finesse-driven.
So while Frye is not entirely wrong in identifying Allen’s shortcomings, his take ignores the context of the Cavaliers’ broader roster limitations. Allen is being asked to do more than his role should require, which naturally leads to poor performances against elite postseason opponents.
The Path Forward for Cleveland
If the Cavaliers are serious about contending for a championship, they may need to reconfigure their frontcourt. That could involve acquiring a more physically dominant big man to play alongside Mobley or redefining Allen’s role entirely. If they continue to rely on Allen as their lone enforcer in the paint, they risk repeated postseason failures.
At the same time, Donovan Mitchell’s future with the franchise remains a looming question. If the Cavaliers cannot demonstrate meaningful growth—particularly in the postseason—there may be bigger changes on the horizon.
In conclusion, while Channing Frye’s comments about Allen stung, they underscore a broader truth: The Cavaliers are not yet built for playoff basketball. Allen is part of the problem, but not the sole reason for their struggles. Until Cleveland embraces physicality and mental toughness at all five positions, they may continue to fall short — no matter how many games they win in the regular season.
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