I was enjoying a wonderful fall afternoon yesterday. The sun was out, there was a crisp smell in the air, and the temperature was perfect for this time of year. Unfortunately, when I started scrolling through my Twitter timeline yesterday around 7 PM, my heart skipped a beat.
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 3, 2022
When it comes to injuries, this Cleveland Cavaliers team has been pretty unlucky recently. After roaring to the top of the Eastern Conference last year, they were bitten hard by the injury bug in the latter stretch of the season. On top of that, we already know that Ricky Rubio will not be available until about midway through the season.
So, I think most Cavalier fans will understand that just reading the tweet above about Evan Mobley expected to miss 1-2 weeks with a right ankle sprain had me worried. Per a report from Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, this happened from Mobley stepping on Robin Lopez’s foot during a workout.
The biggest knock on Evan Mobley coming out of USC was his slim frame, and lack of muscle. So after last season, where he missed 13 games, this is not good news. With that being said, it’s better to have it happen now, rather than during a playoff push.
Additionally, on the plus side, while this was unlucky for him, it is apparent that Mobley worked on getting stronger this offseason, and he has noticeably added muscle. Hopefully he is fine for the regular season, and can be healthy when the games count. He is seemingly likely to be available for Cleveland’s regular season opener at the Toronto Raptors on Oct. 19, to that point.
On top of that, the Cavaliers will get a chance to experiment with some different lineups, and see what young players might be able to fill in for Mobley if this were to happen in the regular season. Like I said earlier, Mobley’s injury is not good in any fashion, but when the NBA gives you lemons, you make lemonade.
So, here’s a couple players to keep an eye on during the preseason in Mobley’s absence.