Drake Jeffries

Starting center Jarrett Allen has impressed new Cavaliers point guard James Harden, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Harden, an 11-time All-Star, was acquired a couple weeks ago in a blockbuster trade with the Clippers.

“He’s better than I thought he was‚” Harden said of Allen following Cleveland’s blowout victory over the Nets on Thursday. “He’s able to catch the ball and finish around the rim with both hands. He has so much touch around the rim. That’s I think probably one of the most underrated parts of his game.

“Just trying to find ways to get him the ball, in positions where he can be successful. It’s only been four games, but it’s easy for me to just figure it out.”

The 35-21 Cavaliers have been surging up the Eastern Conference standings over the past four-plus weeks, winning 11 of their past 12 games, including six straight. Head coach Kenny Atkinson says he’s been focused on getting Allen more involved offensively, according to Fedor, and Harden has quickly developed impressive chemistry with the 27-year-old big man.

“Almost like a renewed energy, a belief,” Atkinson reiterated when asked about Harden’s presence. “They know we got something good going on. We brought in guys that are going to help us. Wow we’ve got to confirm it, right? I’m not going to sit up here after four games or whatever and say we’re this juggernaut. We still have a lot to prove. But I think the early returns with our spirit and our confidence and our aggressiveness is really good.”

Here’s more from around the Central Division:

• It was a whirlwind trade deadline for fourth-year forward Ousmane Dieng, who was involved in three different deals before finally ending up with the Bucks. He said Milwaukee had been interested in him for some time, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “It was a little crazy, but I’m excited to be here,” Dieng said. “I know they were trying to get me for a while here in Milwaukee, so I’m excited and just ready to help the team.” As Nehm writes, the 22-year-old caught fire in his final two games before the All-Star break, scoring 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting in 23 minutes in a win at Orlando. The impending restricted free agent followed that up with the best stat line of his career against his former team, recording 19 points (on 7-of-12 shooting), 11 rebounds, six assists and four blocks in a victory at Oklahoma City. “I think he’s just scratching the surface,” Bucks lead assistant coach Darvin Ham said in Oklahoma City. “He’s so young, and just his size, his athleticism, his smarts … some of the passes he made, some of the finishes, the 3s, the defense, like, he’s just scratching the surface. We found a jewel.”
• In an in-depth subscriber-only story for The Indianapolis Star, Dustin Dopirak takes a look at Quenton Jackson‘s upbringing and unconventional path to the NBA. The Pacers guard, who is on a two-way contract, is a candidate to be promoted to a standard deal before the season ends, Dopirak writes. “The love that they showed was different,” Jackson said of the Pacers. “And just the way they played. It’s a free-spirited game. They don’t put too much pressure on you to do too much. They don’t put you in a box. They kinda just allow you to be you within the system that they have. I love that. They play fast. That was always my game. I was always quick, I was always in shape, I was always playing fast, a transition guy. That worked out for me as well. I just love it here. The people are cool. It was kinda just my atmosphere. This is my vibe. I love everybody here.”
• Former All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, who is attempting an NBA comeback by playing in the G League, has been traded from the Bucks‘ affiliate team (the Wisconsin Herd) to the Cavaliers‘ affiliate club (the Cleveland Charge), the Herd announced in a press release. Wisconsin received the returning player rights to Jacob Gilyard and Drake Jeffries, a 2026 second-round pick and a 2026 international pick. Oladipo, 33, has averaged 14.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.8 APG and 1.8 SPG on .396/.321/.714 shooting in 26 games with the Herd this season (28.7 MPG).