Cavs' center Jarrett Allen named All-Star replacement for Harden
Allen will join teammate Darius Garland for this year's event in Cleveland, giving the Cavs two All-Stars for the first time since 2018
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Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen will replace James Harden at this year's All-Star Game.
Allen, who has been having a strong second season with Cleveland, was chosen to take the place of the injured Harden by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Monday.
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Allen will join teammate Darius Garland for this year's event in Cleveland, giving the Cavs two All-Stars for the first time since 2018.
Harden is dealing with a left hamstring issue that is delaying his debut with the Philadelphia 76ers. Harden, who was chosen by coaches as an All-Star reserve, was traded last week by the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster deal for Ben Simmons.
This is the first All-Star selection for Allen. He's helped the surprising Cavs to a 35-22 record after winning just 22 games last season. Allen is averaging 16.2 points, a career-high 11.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots in 49 games. The 23-year-old is also second in the league in field-goal percentage (66.5%).
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Shortly after learning Harden would miss the game, the Cavs began re-campaigning for Allen, who was passed over last week when Silver named Charlotte's LaMelo Ball as Kevin Durant's replacement.
"He should have been named an All-Star reserve from the jump," said teammate Kevin Love, a five-time All-Star said of Allen. "I told him, that doesn’t really matter how you get there. He’s been so consistent for us.
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"He’s been a leader in that respect, brings it every single night. Posts a double-double, shoots extremely well from the floor. He’s a guy that wants to get better, a guy that wants to lead. It’s such a skill to play hard every single night and J.A. does that. He produces for us time and time again."