Cavs: Does Evan Mobley make the way-too-early All-Star Team?

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Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images /

Cavs: The case for Evan Mobley to make the All-Star Team

At a glance, Evan Mobley doesn’t look like he has the numbers to support an All-Star bid. He is averaging a ho-hum 13.6 points per game, pulling in 7.9 rebounds and dishing 2.6 assists. Those are decent numbers but there is no “wow” factor there. Framing them as “impressive for a rookie” does nothing for an All-Star case.

To see Mobley’s value you have to look a little deeper and understand that he has been one of the most versatile and disruptive defensive players in the league. Colloquially, he has changed the very fiber of the Cavs’ defense, and permitted head coach J.B. Bickerstaff to roll out a new zone look with Mobley at the point of attack.

Evan Mobley is contesting 19 shots per game, tied for second in the league with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and just behind Jakob Poetl, one of the league’s elite rim protectors. He is allowing just 44.7 percent shooting on those shots, which is a 1.4 percent decrease from what those players would normally shoot.

What is even more remarkable is that Mobley is not just a rim protector, but he is contesting shots on the perimeter at a high level too. He has been the closest defender on 56 3-pointers this season, second only to Charlotte’s Miles Bridges. His ability to contest at the rim and get out to shooters is truly special.

Mobley is not just contesting shots, he is blocking them, with 1.4 blocks per game, and disrupting passing lanes with 1.3 steals per game. Despite playing alongside Jarrett Allen he is still bringing in 7.9 rebounds per game. He has been connective tissue on offense and is a key reason this team is .500 after eight games. His case is somewhat nuanced, but it is there: Mobley has been among the two or three best defensive players in the Eastern Conference this season, and if we as an NBA society knew how to properly reward that, he would be an All-Star.

Does the East field as currently laid out have room for him to make it? Let’s predict the 12-man All-Star roster (side note: it’s way past time to expand the All-Star rosters) for the Eastern Conference. Will Mobley make the cut? Note: Because this piece is about Mobley, not the rest of the East, I’m briefly summarizing who makes the team and not giving a detailed case.