Cavs: Evan Mobley is off to outstanding start defensively

Cavs: Mobley’s versatility and length has jumped out

Granted, I’ll get the quick caveat out there first.

Mobley will still have times where he gets moved or outmuscled on the interior by opposing bigs, despite putting on weight since Summer League, (per Bally Sports Cleveland play-by-play announcer John Michael). And Mobley didn’t have necessarily his best on Monday in a somewhat surprising win at the Denver Nuggets, and offensively, there were rookie moments, but overall, his defense has been excellent.

I fully acknowledge that he’ll at times get outmuscled; even still, over time, I do expect Mobley to get stronger, and the Cavs player development staff will work on that area with him. They are assuredly doing so already, anyway.

Looking past that though, Mobley is still largely off to a terrific start defensively.

I get it’s been four games; regardless, he has still held his own even in the interior with his impressive feel both individually and as a rotator, and his verticality has been exceptional for a 20-year-old. Opponents have still hit some interior looks on Mobley, and he was overpowered a few times in Cleveland’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, in fairness, and a bit on Monday.

That said, Mobley’s ability to contest shots without fouling much (2.7 fouls per-36 minutes so far) has been a key positive takeaway early on in these Cavs games, and that, along with his quick feet laterally for a 7-footer has enabled him to switch out admirably when needed. His defense on Trae Young in that Atlanta win, and primary defense on other occasions on key perimeter scorers, and knowing how to utilize his length on-ball, reiterates that he’ll be a heck of a chess piece-type defender.

At times, Mobley does get beat, admittedly, as a primary defender, but his 7-foot-4 wingspan helps him recover, to go with his fluidity, and he can still impact shooters.

Along with his on-ball efforts, Mobley’s team defense has made a difference for the Wine and Gold, too, which we’ll highlight next.