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.
#1: Consistency
Mobley has had a few stretches this season where he wasn’t always scoring in double digits or grabbing double-digit rebounds but for the most part, he’s been very consistent offensively. What really separates him from the rest of the rookie group his is outstanding defense he played on a nightly basis.
The Cavs big man is averaging 14.9 points a game and 8.3 rebounds a game. Of the 68 games he’s played in he’s had 56 games where he scored in double digits. He’s had 13 games where he scored more than 20 points, and he’s gone over 21 games where he had more than 10 rebounds. He’s registered at least 55 games where he had a block in a game.
On defense, he’s also had 36 games where he recorded a steal. He’s also only picked up five fouls in a game just twice all season long. That’s remarkable for a rookie big man. He knows how to defend and he’s a quick study. In a stretch of games in March, Mobley went for double figures in scoring in 10 games in a row and he recorded multiple blocks in five of those same games.
This type of regular production makes the case for him being the ROY easy. Some are suggesting that Mobley could be overtaken in the rookie rankings this week because he was recently sidelined with the injury. And while players like Barnes and Cunningham have been scoring and doing more for their teams of late, that shouldn’t be enough of an argument that Mobley shouldn’t win the award now.
This award should be given to the player that has shown the most consistency and Mobley has shown that very easily this season.
#2: A bigger difference to his team
Scottie Barnes might be the only other rookie that could challenge Mobley in this department. But considering the Cavs have made such a huge turnaround with Mobley in the lineup this season, there really shouldn’t be any dispute. Cleveland won 22 games a year ago, and right now, the team is sitting 43 on wins. That’s a 21-game improvement.
No other rookie comes close to making such a difference for their teams other than Barnes. The Raptors won 27 games last season and have won 48 games so far this season.
Considering the Cavaliers have been struggling to win games over the previous three seasons, the big turnaround has to be considered when valuing Mobley’s importance to the team. They had a 4-9 record when Mobley wasn’t playing this season and are 39-28 with him in the lineup. Five games under .500 to 11 games over .500 is a 16-game swing with Mobley in the games.
Both the Pistons and Rockets continue to be lousy even with their new rookies in the lineup. Cunningham and Detroit are currently 23-58 on the year. The Rockets and their rookie Green are 20-61 right now. So based on these team results neither rookie candidate should even be considered for the ROY award. A big part of this award should go to the player that has made the biggest difference for their team.
It’s a close race between Mobley and Barnes but because the Cavaliers have been a worse team for a longer period over the years, than Mobley’s talents have made a bigger impact.
3: Mobley’s defense
Mobley is the best defender of the group of rookies. Again Barnes is the only rookie that could have some say in this department. Both Cunningham and Green are considered scorers and they both have shown that as the season wore on but neither is a great defender like Mobley.
Mobley’s defense from game one was a huge change for a Cleveland team that was not able to defend very well as a team over the last several years.
Mobley recorded 21 games of 10 rebounds or more, and he’s again had 36 games of more than one steal in a game. If you love blocks, Mobley had 55 games where he recorded a block. He also knows how to defend under control, and was rarely in foul trouble all season long. For a tall 7-foot center to be able to stay out of foul trouble is really outstanding, even often with Jarrett Allen in.
The case for Barnes is strong as a defender but still not as good as Mobley’s numbers. He had 12 games of 10 rebounds or more. He has recorded more steals than Mobley with 48 games of registering a steal. But where Mobley had 55 games of a block, Barnes only had 36 games, and the Raptors have better defenders around him collectively.
The simple eye test also gives Mobley the ROY Award. Mobley’s footwork and ability to pop up to the top of the key to guarding the ball or brought back smoothly to block a shot are simply fun to watch. On a nightly basis, he does so much for his team on the defensive side of the ball.
The ROY Award has seemingly been Mobley’s to lose for quite some time, and I’d expect to hear Mobley’s name announced as the winner, ultimately.
He certainly has revved up his team and the Cavalier fan base that had been lying dormant over the past three years, to some degree.