Cavs big Evan Mobley will be an All-Star next season and beyond

To be honest, Cleveland Cavaliers 7-foot rookie Evan Mobley should have been an NBA All-Star this season, to go along with his teammate and Cavs guard Darius Garland, who did make it to the big event. For what it’s worth, Mobley’s fellow big man teammate Jarrett Allen should have made the game as well, but got snubbed; he could still be named an injury replacement, though, so we’ll see.

Regardless, the All-Star Game is being played in Cleveland this season, and for the NBA to only give Cavs fans one representative is wrong, as of now. The Cavaliers also sport a 32-21 record, sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

They didn’t get to this point just because of Garland’s outstanding play. Mobley and Allen have both contributed in droves this season. Allen is a consistent double-double every night, and he even added a career-best 29 points and a season-high 22 rebounds in a clutch win at the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.

Mobley didn’t do that the other night, but he adds so much to this team on a nightly basis that sometimes doesn’t show up in a traditional box score. He finished with eight points and eight boards against the Hornets. He’s only scored in single digits six times this season out of 53 games. He’s averaging 15 points and eight rebounds for the season, and should be the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year.

He’s made a huge difference on defense, protecting the rim and helping keep opponents out of the paint. That part of his game has certainly helped this Cavaliers team get to this point, along with his ability to contain perimeter threats when needed. He plays the game like a savvy veteran and never seems to get very emotional during games. Though I did witness a pumped fist when his teammate Kevin Love secured the win against Charlotte with two clutch free throws, for what it’s worth.

The trouble with Mobley not getting an invite to the All-Star game has much to do also with the fact that the NBA has shied away from selecting rookies as reserves for the game. The last rookie to make it was Blake Griffin back in 2011. There have only been 10 players invited since 1985 as well. That included players like Michael Jordan and David Robinson. Hell, LeBron James even got snubbed his rookie year in 2003.

So, it’s not shocking Mobley didn’t make it this time, even though he’s certainly got the numbers and the game to have been selected.

That said, with what he’s provided for the Cavs, even as a rookie, Mobley looks to be an All-Star next year and beyond.

With many years ahead of him, assuming the team keeps progressing, Mobley and the Cavaliers will be contending for a playoff spot and Mobley’s opportunities at playing in the All-Star game will become a “no-brainer” for those that help select the reserves.

The fan vote will also be another route for the young Cavalier rookie to get a selection, albeit from a starting perspective; so we’ll have to see in that realm. But as more NBA fans get to watch Mobley play, his name will be a regular amongst fans of the game.

As far as I’m concerned, this should be the only season that Mobley doesn’t make an All-Star game for his career, at least for the foreseeable future.

It’s just more difficult to understand why the NBA wasn’t more open to the idea of having Mobley and Allen join Garland in the game. It would have been a real treat to the fans of Cleveland and the rest of the league.

Cleveland has been the story of the NBA this season with their magical turnaround and the league has certainly failed on their end to recognize that, because the All-Star Game would have been a great place to showcase that story.