#3: Overall defensive impact
Now, I will admit. Mobley has been the better defensive player, and I will give credit where credit is due. However, as the season ended, Mobley dropped off a bit on the defensive end. To end the season, Mobley had a 107.3 defensive rating. This rating is impressive, even for a normal NBA player. For a rookie, this statistic is great, frankly.
Nonetheless, in March, Mobley had a defensive rating of 115.0, while Barnes’ in March was 111.4. To start off the year, Mobley looked like he would be one of the best defensive players in Cleveland basketball history.
However, to end off the year, he still was spectacular on the defensive end, but lesser than he was at the beginning of the year. Not having Jarrett Allen for most of the season’s closing stretch didn’t help for Mobley and others, though.
Anyhow, in conclusion, I still believe this race was up in the air for most of the season, but looking at the advanced statistics, it looks like Scottie Barnes was the more superior rookie compared to Evan Mobley.
Hopefully both Mobley and Barnes will have long and successful careers ahead of them, and it would seem they could have their share of postseason battles, too.