Jarrett Allen Cleared to Start Thursday After Knee Injury Scare

Jarrett Allen is officially starting on Thursday night, which means the collective blood pressure of Cleveland Cavaliers fans and fantasy managers can finally return to a normal resting rate. Underdog NBA confirmed the big man is good to go after a knee injury temporarily turned the team's frontcourt rotation into a guessing game.

The panic started earlier this week when Allen took a brutal knee-to-knee hit against the Detroit Pistons and had to exit the game. Head coach Kenny Atkinson quickly clarified it was a direct contact issue rather than a lingering soft-tissue problem, which is basically coach-speak for confirming his center just got banged up instead of suffering a structural disaster.

"Underdog NBA reported: 'Jarrett Allen (knee) will start Thursday.'"

Having Allen back in the lineup is a massive relief because he has been an absolute machine in the paint this season. He is averaging 15.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, serving as the primary anchor for Cleveland's interior defense and rebounding efforts.

Before the collision, Allen was on a ridiculous tear, putting up 21 points and 10.5 boards on 72 percent shooting over a recent stretch. When a guy is operating with that kind of efficiency, taking him out of the rotation is like trying to drive a sports car on the highway with a donut tire on the front left wheel.

His return completely flips the script for the prop market and daily lineups heading into Thursday's matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. Without him, bettors were flying blind trying to figure out which backup big would accidentally stumble into 30 minutes of playing time and a handful of rebounds.

Now that Allen is officially cleared, the Cavaliers can get back to their normal rotation and stop pretending they have enough frontcourt depth to survive without him. Keep an eye on his early minutes to see if he has his usual bounce, but for now, you can safely take your betting slips out of draft mode.