2 realistic expectations for Cavs’ Evan Mobley next season

Evan Mobley had high expectations surrounding him from when he was selected 3rd overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in last year’s draft.

It is safe to say that whatever expectations anyone had for Mobley were mostly, if not wholly, shattered last season. While the Cavaliers’ front office had done mainly a great job nailing previous years’ draft picks, this was the chance for them to draft a true cornerstone player that could help turn the franchise around.

The first-year big man from USC averaged 15 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game but was snubbed for Rookie of the Year as he was beaten out in the voting by Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes.

Despite the fact Mobley didn’t win Rookie of the Year, there’s no denying his impact on the court. After all, he finished the regular season with 12.3 contested shots per game, per NBA.com’s hustle data. This mark was good for 3rd-best in the NBA behind only Rudy Gobert and Jakob Poeltl.

The Mobley-Jarrett Allen duo formed one of the best big men tandems in the NBA. Allen averaged a double-double last year and finished 5th in the NBA in contested shots with 11.3 per game.

Having a duo that averaged over one block per game and finished in the top five in contested shots is encouraging moving forward to this next season ahead.

While there is plenty of good to take away from last season, this upcoming campaign, there are some areas of Mobley’s game where we should expect some improvement, or at least like to see.

With that in mind, here, we’ll discuss two realistic expectations for Mobley in his second year with the Wine and Gold.