CLEVELAND, Ohio — Five games into the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2025-26 campaign, one thing has become abundantly clear: the team is fully committed to expanding Evan Mobley’s offensive repertoire, even if it comes at the expense of early-season wins and offensive efficiency.
The fifth-year big man has been given significantly more offensive creation responsibilities, frequently initiating plays from the top of the key rather than operating in his comfort zones near the basket or at the elbow. The results? An offense that Wine and Gold Talk podcast host Ethan Sands described as “clunky” – a characterization that head coach Kenny Atkinson hasn’t disputed.
What’s most interesting about this situation isn’t that Mobley is struggling (19 points on 7-of-19 shooting against Boston), but rather that the Cavaliers appear entirely comfortable with these growing pains, viewing them as necessary steps in their long-term development plan.
“I think they’re at a point ... they’re not trying to win at all cost. They’re keeping the big picture in mind,” Cleveland.com Cavaliers reporter Chris Fedor explained on the podcast. “And even though this Evan Mobley experiment on the offensive end so far has not yielded the kinds of results that the Cavs would want, they’re just not in a place where they feel like it would benefit them to go away from it.”
This approach represents a fascinating philosophical stance for a team with championship aspirations.
Rather than maximizing their chances of winning each regular season game, the Cavaliers are investing in Mobley’s development, betting that the short-term struggles will yield significant dividends come playoff time.
Against Boston, Mobley attempted eight three-pointers (making just two) while struggling to consistently finish around the rim. It’s a stark departure from the efficient, opportunistic scorer we’ve seen in previous seasons.
Fedor summed up the organization’s mindset: “So I think even though it looks wonky, even though it feels like they’ve lost their identity for the most part in the first five games. I think they’re okay with it to some degree because it’s in their mind ... it’s just short-term pain for long term game.”
What makes this experiment particularly notable is that it’s happening alongside other significant challenges.
The Cavaliers are missing Darius Garland, Max Strus and Sam Merrill, three key offensive pieces who could potentially help ease Mobley’s transition into a more prominent creative role. Instead, he’s being asked to shoulder these new responsibilities while the team is already operating at less than full strength.
Cleveland’s approach with Mobley mirrors what many championship contenders have done throughout NBA history – using the regular season as a laboratory to develop skills and schemes that will pay dividends in the postseason.
But the question remains: at what point would continued offensive struggles force the Cavaliers to reevaluate?
As Fedor noted, “If it gets to a point where the Cavs are deep into the season, the playoffs are closing in and the Evan Mobley is a big time focal point offensively, if that’s not working, if that’s not in the best interest of the Cavs winning games, then maybe they reconfigure some things and they rethink their approach.”
For Cavaliers fans, the message is clear – this is a season of development, even if it comes with some frustrating performances along the way. The organization is betting that a more versatile, confident Mobley will be worth the growing pains.
To hear the complete breakdown of Mobley’s expanded role and how it fits into the Cavaliers’ long-term vision, check out the latest episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
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