Cavs: 3 things I liked from preseason Game 4 against the Bulls

The Cleveland Cavaliers were absolutely clobbered on Tuesday night when they opened the preseason against the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls came into town for a rematch Sunday evening, and this time the teams played dead even, with the Bulls pulling out a one-point victory in the end. It was the third consecutive close game for the Cavs as they have looked much better in recent games after that shaky start.

Preseason basketball ultimately isn’t about wins and losses, but rather about players and rotations. What stood out from the game about the Cavs’ roster? Here are three things I liked from the 102-101 loss to the Bulls in preseason Game 4 on Sunday.

Cavs: 3 things I liked – Evan Mobley going Beast Mode

The headline has to be Evan Mobley having his best game, a truly incredible performance for the rookie. Mobley scored 15 points, pulled in 10 rebounds and connected on four assists. You want defensive impact plays? What about two steals and three blocks? Did he take care of the ball? Only one turnover despite handling the ball in transition multiple times. Check out this end-to-end run with a behind-the-back flourish that he finishes with a pass to Jarrett Allen:

In one memorable sequence, Mobley makes a nice move inside to finish at the rim. The Bulls inbound quickly and Mobley picks up DeRozan in the open court, who receives the ball and drives in. 12-year former All-NBA guard against a 7-foot rookie in space. Mobley moves his feet, stays in front of him, and swats the ball away. A few plays later DeRozan comes right back at him, and Mobley again says no:

Evan Mobley got knocked off his spot a few times, and occasionally he would pass out of the paint to the perimeter and then float towards half-court; he needs to sharpen up where to go in such situations. Those are ultimately just rookie nitpicking at this point. Mobley was incredible, and for a Cavs team that hasn’t seen a lot of incredible recently, it was everything fans hoped for and more. There are a lot of reasons to think Mobley will be really good as quickly as this season.