The Atlanta Hawks easily took down the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night and are one step closer to making the playoffs.
Their next obstacle will be defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
Whoever wins that game will become the eighth seed in the East and will be then facing off against the Miami Heat shortly thereafter.
Before they can worry about the Heat, they need to focus solely on the Cavs and their stellar squad.
But will Cleveland be bringing back one of their biggest stars on Friday?
Trae Young said the #Hawks are expecting Jarrett Allen to play on Friday night in his post-game interview on the court…
— Nick Camino (@NickCaminoWKYC) April 14, 2022
Trae Young sure thinks so.
Young told the press that his team expects the Cavs to play Jarrett Allen in the upcoming game.
Allen has been out for weeks with a fractured finger.
If he returns, he could be an absolute game-changer for the Cavs and a key to postseason success.
The Assistance Of Allen
There was a point in the season when it looked like the Cavs could actually make the NBA Finals.
While they might be fighting for the eighth seed right now, they were once doing much, much better in the East.
But a slew of injuries to multiple players slowed them down tremendously.
Allen had just one of those injuries and it’s perhaps hurt the team the most.
The All-Star center was putting up 11.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists a game when he was healthy.
He was also putting up 1.3 blocks.
Allen was part of the Cavs’ big, imposing lineup and helped the team transform into the contenders they are.
If Allen comes back and plays like he was, the team could easily put the Hawks away and move into the eighth spot.
In fact, if Young is right and Allen does return, the Eastern Conference might shake up considerably.
NEXT: Darius Garland Can Cement His Star Status With A Win Friday