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3 Cavs announced as finalists for NBA season awards

By Quinn Minnich

Evan Mobley and Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)
Evan Mobley and Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images) /
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Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers and Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors. Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images /

Evan Mobley – Rookie of the Year

Not only is Evan Mobley a great defender for a rookie, he is a great defender in general. He averaged the 6th-most blocks per game at 1.7 and had the 8th-most blocks at 115. His offense wasn’t bad, either. With 15.0 points and 2.5 assists per game, his offense looked tremendous at times, and overall, he’s been invaluable even for such a young player.

Many people, including me, had concerns with Mobley playing in the frontcourt alongside Jarrett Allen. People were worried about the spacing and perimeter defense. However, Mobley’s shooting range was better than expected, and both Mobley and Allen can hold their own against guards on the perimeter.

For one of the finalists, there is Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons. Cunningham was the first overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and was the consensus first pick, for good reason, averaging 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game for Oklahoma State.

The 6’6 point guard averaged 17.4 points, 5.6 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game for the Pistons this year. However, his shooting splits were not the best, having splits of 41/31/84. Even with his shooting splits, he has often looked like one of the best players on the Pistons, and looks like he has a promising career ahead of him.

The other candidate is Scottie Barnes, a 6’9 forward playing for the Toronto Raptors. Barnes played for Florida State in college, averaging 10.3 points, 4.1 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game, showing his all-around game there. For Toronto this season, he averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, showing off his great passing for a rookie big man.

Barnes won the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month twice, for February and March. Barnes currently is in the playoffs, facing off against the Philadelphia 76ers, who have an MVP candidate in Joel Embiid on their team.

Next. Cavs have a new rivalry with Sixers as a result of how season ended. dark

The Cavaliers have 3 finalists for each award, with each player having a deserving season to be named as a finalist.