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

Cavs: The path for Evan Mobley to play his way onto an All-Star Roster

Given how absolutely loaded the frontcourt is for the Eastern Conference, it will be an uphill battle for Evan Mobley to make an All-Star Game as a rookie. The last rookie to make the All-Star Game was Blake Griffin in 2011, and it has only happened twice this century and 18 times total since the merger.

To get there, Mobley will need to increase his scoring load. He is currently averaging 13.6 points per game, which is third on the Cavs but in a bunch of five players all averaging between 12.9 and 13.8 points per game. Mobley growing as an offensive facilitator and increasing his scoring and passing will need to happen if he has any chance in a box score-driven competition to make the All-Star game.

Mobley will also need some highlight plays, blocks that make the Twitter rounds or highlight dunks. Increasing his stocks from an already-impressive 2.7 per game to something above 3.0 will be helpful. Finally, the Cavs will need to be at least a .500 team and ideally better, so that some coaches who play the “every good team needs an All-Star” game will give him some nods.

Players like DeMar DeRozan, LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges are all vulnerable candidates to fall off, and Mobley will need to fight past them as well as players like OG Anunoby, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, among others, to claim a spot. It’s a difficult ask, and the reality is that no matter how impactful Mobley truly is as a defender, that impact is hard to quantify, especially in ways that will matter to the NBA coaches who vote on All-Star reserves.

Mobley’s trajectory is pointed straight up, and he will almost certainly be a perennial All-Star during his prime. This season? This year he should focus on making an All-Defense Team and winning Rookie of the Year. All-Star berths will come.