Cavs’ Evan Mobley is distancing himself now in Rookie Ladder
NBA Rookie Ladder (March 23)
- Evan Mobley, Forward, Cavaliers
- Cade Cunningham, Guard, Pistons
- Scottie Barnes, Forward, Raptors
- Franz Wagner, Forward, Orlando Magic
- Jalen Green, Guard, Houston Rockets
- Josh Giddey, Guard/Forward, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Herbert Jones, Forward, New Orleans Pelicans
- Ayo Dosunmu, Guard, Chicago Bulls
- Davion Mitchell, Guard, Sacramento Kings
- Jonathan Kuminga, Forward, Golden State Warriors
- Chris Duarte, Guard, Indiana Pacers
- Bones Hyland, Guard, Denver Nuggets
Winner takes all in Mobley vs. Barnes on Thursday night?
I think as Cavs fans we can all agree that it’s been kind of a bummer that the Cavs haven’t truly played any super important games late in the season over the past few years. However, Thursday night’s matchup with the seventh-seeded Toronto Raptors on Thursday night in “the Six” is definitely in that ball park.
The Cavaliers are a full game ahead of the Raptors, making that matchup all the more important. And two players who will have a lot to say about who wins that game are two of the top rookies this year in Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes.
Mobley was the no-brainer pick for the Cavs at number three, but Barnes was no shoe-in to go fourth, right after Mobley. Some, including myself, thought he would slide below the top eight. Nonetheless, he’s come out this season and made all the doubters look like dummies. This season Barnes is averaging 15.4 points per game, 7.7 rebounds per game, and 3.4 assists per game. He’s been a huge factor in the Raptors’ success this season, and has even earned some praise from LeBron James, via Sports Illustrated’s Aaron Rose.
"“I saw Scottie Barnes for the first time in seventh grade. I told one of my good friends: ‘This kid is going to be special.’ I saw the length of his arms and he was playing point guard at his size back then, and obviously, he is still doing it now and can play multiple positions. For him to have that size and ability, I knew he was going to be special so there is no surprise for what he is doing for me, personally.'”"
However, he will have no easy task when taking on Mobley. The young man from Cali has improved upon his already impressive game every week this season. Now when you watch him on the court, you almost start to think he’s a seasoned vet the way he has started to talk on defense, and Mobley’s offensive repertoire is incredible. In my humble opinion, Mobley has the Rookie of the Year wrapped up and in a bag.
If you told any single NBA fan, coach, player, or even GM, no one would have predicted that the Cavs would be on the verge of clinching some kind of playoff spot in the 2022 NBA playoffs; they would laugh at you, directly in the face. Not all the winning is because of Mobley, but he sure has a lot to do with it.