Cavs: Evan Mobley moves up to #2 in Kia Rookie Ladder

If the playoffs were to start tomorrow, your very own Cleveland Cavaliers would be playing a home game in the playoff, play-in tournament. I think early this season the Cavs have surprised a lot of people, and have given them multiple reasons to follow this LeBron James-less Cavalier team into the future. One of the big reasons for that is Cleveland’s rookie big man, Evan Mobley.

Last week, after a great start, he finished third in the first Kia NBA Rookie Ladder. I thought it was a fair spot to put him, considering Chris Duarte was incredible last week, and Scottie Barnes seems to have found out how to play basketball in the last three months. However, in this week’s rankings, Mobley has moved up one spot to second.

It’s hard to argue against Barnes, who’s averaging 18 points per game, to go with nine rebounds, and two assists. He’s been great for a the playoff-contending Toronto Raptors. Although, Mobley has been special as well. With that being said, I believe his ranking of second is warranted, but also think his impact on the Cavaliers games this season goes much deeper than just statistics.

Can Mobley guard 1-5?

This is a question I’ve been pondering for a while. Finally, last night proved to me that what I had been thinking all along, was indeed true. Now, Damian Lillard did get by him on a few other occasions, but at a crucial time, Mobley delivered, and it’s not as if many have had success overall against Mobley.

With 90 seconds remaining in the game last night versus the Blazers, Evan Mobley got switched on to Damian Lillard, who of course thought he would easily breeze by the rookie big man out of USC. However, Lillard was wrong, and Mobley stayed with him step for step, and got the block in at the perfect time.

With that being said, the referees have been more lenient this year on fouls, so it gives a guy like Mobley even more space to move and block shots. Oh, and it also helps you have another elite rim protector waiting for Lillard, in Jarrett Allen.

Not only does this make Mobley an even better defender, but it also gives the Cavs a chance to push the tempo with Mobley himself. We have already seen it multiple times this year, but when Mobley grabs a rebound or block, and takes it up the court himself, he’s a very good playmaker from that position. While it is true that Barnes is having a hell of a start to his rookie season, Mobley is right there with him, and has made an even bigger impact on his own team.

The Cavs defense is already better this year.

As I said, Mobley’s impact on the game, especially on the defensive end, is out of this world, especially for a rookie. He’s already made the team better defensively in his first nine games.

Last year at the end of the season, the Cavs were ranked 25th in the league in defensive rating (113.5). However, this year through nine games, they are the league’s 10th-best defense, with a rating of 105.6. That’s a hell of an improvement from last year.

On top of that, the Cavaliers finished 29th in the league last year, allowing opponents to shoot 48.4 percent from the field. This year, they are up 10 spots to 19th, holding opponents to 45.2 percent shooting. It’s not a huge jump, but it is certainly impressive.

Overall, even though I don’t like Scottie Barnes, he’s been playing incredibly well so far this season. So Evan Mobley slotting in at two was the right thing to do in the most recent Rookie Ladder.

But there will come a point and time when Mobley will be on the top rung of the ladder, and Cavs fans everywhere will be very happy.