4 things Cavaliers fans should be thankful for regarding 2022-23 squad

No. 2: The Cavs frontcourt continuing to gel

For the third reason to be thankful about this 2022-23 squad, it seemed viable to go the frontcourt duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen continuing to gel.

With the frontcourt duo of Mobley and Allen, those two have proven themselves as the Cavaliers defensive anchors, and they’ve followed up their great play on that end by doing so for much of this season thus far. Those two are arguably the league’s best defensive frontcourt duo at the 4/5 with Mobley’s versatility, Allen’s ability to patrol the paint and contest without fouling much, and Allen himself has made strides as a switchable big.

There have been some tough stretches for the Cavaliers defensively, but when those two have been in, it’s made the duo all the more impactful with how they help one another, and it enables Cleveland perimeter players to have a bit more leeway to be aggressive. That’s still going to have some growing pains, in fairness, though in recent games, the off-ball perimeter play has aided the team.

As for the offensive end, Mobley’s skill level with his finishing, his IQ, driving and passing abilities have been on display for much of the season to this point, and he’s had a solid 14.9 points per outing through 18 games. In a number of more recent contests, he’s looked to be more assertive in getting to his desired spots, too, and his chemistry with Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland has gotten better with each game.

In regards to Allen, he hasn’t started the season off quite as uber-efficient as he did last year, but he’s more than answered the bell as the year has worn on here, and after dealing with illness and then ankle soreness, he’s come back with a vengeance in this win streak. And similarly to his defensive chemistry with Mobley, Allen has seemingly improved his offensive play with Evan as well, and lately, those two have connected on big-to-big feeds, which one should look out for in upcoming games.