CLEVELAND, Ohio — The game slows down in the playoffs, but the clock on contention never stops ticking.
This was the year the Cavs’ Evan Mobley started to turn the corner — longer stretches of assertiveness, more polished footwork and dribbling, firmer base in the post. The Defensive Player of the Year trophy to prove his worth on one end, and flashes of inside-out offense that teased the full picture on the other.
But as the Cavs stare down the barrel of an ever-shrinking championship window, it‘s clear that flashes are no longer enough.
Even as he established himself as one of the premier big men in the NBA, with an All-NBA selection in his sights, it still felt like something was missing — the kind of presence that tips a playoff series.
“In the playoffs, we need more,” Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman said during his end-of-season press conference Monday. “We need more than 13 field goal attempts a game — that‘s new, that‘s new for Evan. There‘s another jump.”
Mobley doesn’t have to be the best player on the team — that torch still burns in Donovan Mitchell’s hands, a top-15 star. But Mobley must be the flame that forces defenses to sweat, becoming the kind of presence that forces defenses to panic, to prepare, to fear.
In year four, Mobley evolved. In year five, he has to ignite. Because with how the Cavaliers are currently constructed, the future can’t wait.
That next step begins with skill refinement — especially with the ball in his hands.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers in Game1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, May 4, 2025
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley works his dribble on the defense of Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam in the first half of the eastern conference semifinals at Rocket Arena. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Mobley began to show flashes of a tighter handle this season, but true comfort as a ball handler would transform both his game and Cleveland’s offense.
Give him the green light to bring the ball up off the glass or in transition. Suddenly, the Cavs are running the break with a 7-foot gazelle prancing through the open floor, options galore.
That kind of weapon doesn’t just shake up defenses in transition. It also gives his teammates a break from pushing the ball the full 94 feet.
It allows Mitchell or Darius Garland to slide off the ball, find new space, and catch a moment to breathe. And it gives Atkinson more ways to activate his halfcourt sets.
Handle might be the second most important swing skill for Mobley — right behind his jumper — because it‘s a bridge from potential to pressure on opponents, from flashes to full control.
The NBA’s second apron rule and Donovan Mitchell’s looming player option after the 2026-27 season have accelerated Cleveland’s timeline. Particularly the former.
The financial reality says so. The Cavs are projected to be $27.3 million over the 206 luxury-tax line and $15 million over the second apron, even with minimum contracts filling out the roster.
The league‘s salary cap is a spending limit that‘s supposed to keep teams on relatively even footing. But it‘s what‘s above the cap that matters now. The Cavs are a luxury-tax team, meaning they’ve already gone over that cap to pay their roster.
But the league‘s newest spending rules have added two hard lines: the first and second aprons. Crossing those thresholds doesn’t just mean more money out of pocket — it means losing flexibility.
Being a second apron team means the Cavs are boxed in — they can’t spend more than the minimum on free agents, can’t take back more salary than they send out, can’t execute sign-and-trades, and can’t toss in cash to grease the wheels.
They need elite, nightly, unavoidable production. And Mobley is the only internal answer with the upside to provide it.
Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, left, celebrates with guard Donovan Mitchell, right, after a basket in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)AP
Mitchell can carry a team, but even he knows that‘s not enough.
“He‘s continuing to grow and I think he‘s a guy that next year coming in is going to be even more important, even more crucial,” Mitchell said of Mobley at his end of the season. “I’m not putting this on him as a whole at all, but ... the difference is we have a guy who is an All-NBA level talent. Top-5 player in the league one day and he‘s continuing to grow into that.”
Mitchell, 28, is in his prime. He‘s made the playoffs in all eight of his seasons, but never past the conference semifinals. The clock is just as loud for him.
If Cleveland is going to prove it’s the right long-term fit — and if Mobley is going to show he’s the right running mate for a championship chase — the next two years will decide everything, especially with Mitchell holding a player option after the 2026-27 season.
Mobley signed his five-year, $224 million rookie max contract extension last summer, a deal that could climb to $269 million thanks to the “Rose Rule.” His Defensive Player of the Year award already triggered a bonus. An All-NBA selection would bump next season’s cap hit from $38.7 million to $46.4 million.
That leap in salary is emblematic of the leap Cleveland expects on the court. They’re paying for a player who can win them games in May, not just help them get through February.
When Kenny Atkinson was hired before the 2024-25 season, he was asked if Mobley needed to be the Cavs’ best player to make a real run. Atkinson hedged — “Can do it with Donovan” — but over time, the truth surfaced: Mobley didn’t have to be the best player. But he had to be that important.
Mitchell recognized it. Encouraged it. Leaned into it.
And the urgency only grows when you zoom out.
The Eastern Conference is about to shift. Boston’s core — the one that needed seven years to finally break through — could be torn down. Milwaukee might part ways with Giannis Antetokounmpo. If the Cavs want to strike, it has to be now. The league doesn’t slow down for slow burns.
It‘s the kind of urgency that Mobley will feel from the moment he‘s fully recovered from an ankle injury that he played through against the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals this year.
“This is a big offseason again for Evan,” Altman said. “We‘re going to go as a franchise as Evan is going to go. And we‘ve had that conversation with Evan.”
This season, Mobley gave glimpses. He took on more offensive responsibility in stretches, he showed patience as a playmaker in the high post, and his face-up game improved marginally. But his offensive assertiveness still came and went. His footwork still got rushed against length. His jumper is improved but inconsistent.
The potential is there, but the grains of sand of Cleveland’s hourglass are slowly running out.
Which is why Altman made it clear: Internal growth is what this team was built on.
“Internal growth is something that we‘ve always banked on and we‘re going to continue to bank on,” Altman said. “If we are a second-apron team, we still know we have internal growth to get better. ... If you don’t believe a 23-year-old Evan Mobley is going to continue to make these jumps and leaps, then you’re not studying it. You’re not studying the evolution of great players.”
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Milwaukee Bucks, December 20, 2024
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley defends the rim against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
Great players often bloom into their natural abilities:
The Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard didn’t become a 20-point scorer until year five. He won a championship with the Toronto Raptors.
Antetokounmpo made his first All-NBA team in year four. He helped the Bucks win their first title in 50 years, defeating the Phoenix Suns in 2021.
Anthony Davis didn’t truly carry a team in the playoffs until his sixth season. Davis lifted the New Orleans Pelicans to the Western Conference semifinals before being swept by the Golden State Warriors in 2018.
Mobley is still on track. But the Cavs need him to accelerate.
They believe he will. And Mitchell, who has become something of a mentor as well as a co-star, has given every indication that he‘s ready to pass the baton — when Mobley proves he can carry it.
The hope is that Mobley’s quiet nature is not a barrier, but simply part of a different path.
Tim Duncan wasn’t vocal. Neither was Chris Bosh or even Leonard, whose role has shifted as part of multiple teams. But they became foundational stars by mastering their roles and expanding them when it mattered most.
Mobley doesn’t need to scream. He needs to dominate.
The Cavs have never made it past the second round of the playoffs without LeBron James. They’re now trying to do it with a homegrown star and the high-priced one they brought in to push the timeline forward.
There are few things more dangerous in the NBA than betting on a leap that doesn’t come. But there may be nothing more rewarding than betting on one that does.
That‘s the gamble the Cavs are making.
There‘s no more waiting — not in this economy, not in this NBA. And not with the clock ticking on Mitchell’s belief in Cleveland.
Mobley doesn’t have to be the best, but he has to play like he thinks he is.