3 takeaways from the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2021-22 season

Takeaway No. 2: Evan Mobley made a huge difference

To begin with Evan Mobley, the Cavs rookie sensation, was robbed of the Rookie of the Year Award this season.

Mobley did far more for his team than Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors did for his team. The turnaround that the Cavs had, was a much bigger shift than that of the Raptors, who yes had a good turnaround themselves but have been traditionally vying for championships at a more frequent clip than any Cavaliers teams of late.

Statistically, Mobley and Barnes were similar as I wrote about the ROY award recently, but the difference that Mobley made for the Cavs can’t be overlooked. Mobley’s defensive skills for a big man were outstanding. His presence to pop out to the top of the defense and fall back into the lane was unbelievably good.

Mobley finished the year with a 15-points game average and a little over eight rebounds a game. He scored in double figures in 57 of the 69 games he played. He had 22 games of double-digit rebounds as well. He also had 16 games of recording three blocks or more in a game. Not bad for a 20-year-old still learning the game. The upside to his game and his ability to lead this team to the playoffs is huge going forward.

The team was 40-29 with him in the lineup this season while they were 4-9 with him out of the lineup. The sample size isn’t even but you can see the difference. Hopefully, he can stay healthy next year.