Most predictions about this Cleveland Cavaliers basketball season had the team continuing to struggle even with the drafting of rookie big man Evan Mobley. That all changed quickly as the Cavs, behind players like Mobley, guard Darius Garland, and fellow big man Jarrett Allen, got off to a fast start, climbed the rankings of the Eastern Conference standings, and surprised the NBA with their resurgence.
Mobley has been a huge part of this Cavs feel-good story. He has had an outstanding season and has been one of the NBA headlines all season long. The Rookie of the Year Award has often been a hot topic of discussion, and Mobley has likely earned the award if the announcement were made today.
Currently, he is on top of the Kia Rookie Ladder, which has been actively tracking and ranking these rookie players all season long. There are several rookie players this season that are also having excellent seasons.
Cade Cunningham was drafted No. 1 by the Detroit Pistons. He’s been coming on strong in the last month with his outstanding production on the court but is it enough to catch Mobley? Jalen Green was taken by the Houston Rockets and got off to a sluggish start this year but also has been draining shots and becoming a big-time scoring machine. Scottie Barnes, out of Florida State was drafted by the surging Toronto Raptors. He also has been very good, but has been outstanding more so of late and has been an integral part of the team’s rise up the Eastern Conference standings.
Recently Mobley was sidelined with an ankle injury where he missed five games and Cleveland has really missed his presence as they went 1-4 in his time away from the team. Can Mobley maintain his slim lead on the rookie ladder and win the ROY award?
There are several reasons why the answer to this is “yes.”
Let’s take a few shots at why this award should be handed to Mobley today.