Grading the Cleveland Cavaliers’ bigs so far this season
By Dan Gilinsky
The Cleveland Cavaliers have had their share of perimeter contributions this season, and with players such as Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Ricky Rubio and Caris LeVert, they have a plethora of playmakers.
Other perimeter guys such as Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade and Cedi Osman have stepped up in their respective roles as well, but throughout the season, Cleveland’s bigs have given the team their share of production, at least from a starting standpoint.
With that in mind, here, we’ll take a closer look at how the Cavaliers’ bigs have performed individually thus far this season, ahead of the team beginning post-All-Star play on Thursday night versus the Denver Nuggets. We’ll begin with one of the clubs’ most important players.
Examining Evan Mobley’s play so far
Evan Mobley has followed up what was a stellar rookie season with a very encouraging second year to this point. Mobley has had solid traditional splits of 15.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per contest, and has tacked on 1.4 blocks per game.
There have been some bumps in the road for Mobley, and one would prefer him to have exhibited more catch-and-shoot growth from three-point range than at this stage. He’s connected on only 19.4 percent of his three-point shots this season, which has been actually a bit down from last year, in which he hit 25.0 percent of those looks. The attempts decreased to only 1.2 per outing from 1.3, for what it’s worth.
Looking onward, if Mobley can be somewhat viable from three, it’d pay dividends for the rest of his offensive game.
Even with that being the case, Mobley’s two-way abilities have again been so impactful for the Cavaliers. He ranks sixth in the league in total blocks (80) and is eighth in blocks per game at the aforementioned 1.4 per contest. He’s also seventh in contested shots per game (10.9), per NBA.com’s hustle data.
Mobley’s rim protection in tandem with Jarrett Allen has proven to be invaluable, and with both of those players being more than capable in switchout situations, it’s made it easier on Cleveland’s team defense to recover. And the range that Mobley covers as a rotator with his length and agility, and the defensive IQ he has have made him such a huge difference-maker for the Cavaliers on that end of the floor, even at only 21 in Year 2.
Mobley’s increased aggression offensively also has been crucial for his own success really since the turn of the calendar to 2023, and for the team moving forward, hopefully that continues. Mobley has taken further strides as a rolling presence, and his finishing, post work, passing development and mid-range touch have led to increased splits as well. In his last 20 games, he’s had 18.7 points per contest on 55.4 percent shooting, and has had a robust plus-7.4 plus-minus in that span.
Sure, there are still some blemishes in Mobley’s game, but he’s gotten better and better as the season has worn on, and how much he affects winning is incredible for a player of his age and as a young, 6-foot-11 big in today’s league.