1 stud and 1 dud for Cavaliers from ugly loss to the Raptors on Monday

Cavaliers stud: Evan Mobley

Even though he had a rather slow start to the season, Evan Mobley has been heating up for the Cavaliers recently. Last night he finished with 18 points, while shooting 50% from the field. He also led all players in rebounding, finishing with 15, which was huge, as the Cavs were without center Jarrett Allen who missed the game with a lower back injury.

One of the main gripes against Mobley last year was his rebounding. He averaged only 8.3 last year as a 6-foot-11 big man, which in many people’s opinions, just wasn’t enough.

Well, he has taken that criticism and ran with it. In his last five games, he has averaged 11.4 rebounds per game, and Cleveland is 3-2 in those games. While his rebounding isn’t the key to the Cavaliers’ success necessarily, it’s definitely helping them be more competitive with the best teams throughout the league.

Offensively, there is still a lot for Mobley to improve on, but that will come with time. You can just see how much more offensively aware he is about his shooting, spacing, and passing in just his second year in the league. On top of that, he’s still a force defensively. Mobley’s ability to affect and block shots without fouling is a skill that very few players have in the entire NBA.

Overall, it was another great performance from the second-year player, even if he was 0-4 from three.