1 stud and 1 dud in Cavs’ latest loss to the 76ers on Friday

Cavs dud: Evan Mobley

The rookie big man, who’s really been one of the main reasons the Cavs are where they are this season, continues to be struggling at this point in the season. It’s as if Evan Mobley has hit a wall and can’t get back up.

Though he’s still playing hard and with effort, his shots seem off right now, and his production has dipped post-All-Star break. His shots are flat. He’s not using his legs to get a better shot and his confidence seems a bit shaken. He had the task of trying to defend 76ers new star James Harden at times and unfortunately, Harden used his tricks of the trade to draw fouls on Mobley and others throughout the night that added to the big man’s frustration on defense.

In 32 minutes in this game, Mobley only added seven points and four rebounds. He didn’t have a field goal until the second half. He had a few open looks too from inside the lane and outside the three-point line that both were misses because he wasn’t using his legs and the shots were both flat and off.

For a rookie like Mobley, having only played one college season a year ago at USC, having played now 55 games seems to have caught up to him. He’s not reached double figures in scoring in the last two games and the last 13 games he’s missed double figures in points six times. He has a 14.5-point scoring average on the year so he’s definitely not being as consistent as he was in the first half of the season in which he was involved.

Let’s see how the team bounces back against the Toronto Raptors when the Wine and Gold return to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Sunday. Every game now is vital, and this will be another game filled with pressure-packed moments.