The growth Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley has shown in his fourth NBA season has been key to the team’s historically successful campaign.
Cleveland just recently set a new record for the longest winning streak in franchise history with its victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. Mobley’s performance in that contest served as a good microcosm of his evolution as a player, as he totaled 22 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocked shots. He also shot 9-of-16 from the field and knocked down three 3-pointers.
Recently, NBA legend Kevin Garnett implied that Mobley isn’t being talked about enough amid his career year.
“You know who nobody talking about?” Garnett asked. “Evan Mobley. Evan Mobley is the one that started the comeback in Boston. He’s hitting 3s more consistently. He’s taking his game to another level. Big fella, we see you. Keep going — you’re certified, you hear what I’m saying to you, big fella? Big fella, keep being a motherf—— monster out there, big fella. Yeah, big fella, this what I was talking about, big fella.”
Mobley is seemingly playing with a new level of bravado on the offensive side of the ball compared to years past. He’s averaging a career-high 18.6 points per game this season while shooting 56.8 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from deep.
Before this season, Mobley never averaged more than 16.2 points per contest in a single campaign.
Mobley has made significant improvements on the offensive end this season all while continuing to be quite an impactful player on the less glamorous side of the ball. Only 16 players in the league have more defensive win shares, and just 17 players in the NBA are averaging more defensive rebounds per contest. He’s a major threat to win Defensive Player of the Year honors.
The big man has also been able to avoid the injury bug for the most part after he suited up in only 50 games for the Cavaliers in the 2023-24 regular season. This season, he has played in all but seven of Cleveland’s 66 contests.
Mobley will try to help the Cavaliers build upon their longest winning streak ever when the team takes on the Orlando Magic in a matinee game on Sunday. The Magic have played far from their best basketball of the season in recent weeks, as Orlando has come up short in all but three of its past 10 games.