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.
Mobley’s 2022-23 grade so far: A-
Examining Allen’s play so far
Jarrett Allen wasn’t named an All-Star this season, and his offensive splits are down a bit in 2022-23. But neither of those things have indicated he’s been any less impactful for Cleveland.
Allen has still had robust numbers of 14.7 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per outing, and he’s third in the NBA in shot contests per game (11.8), per NBA.com’s hustle data. His rim protection is essential for the Cavaliers, and in the same breadth, his communication, length and development into one of the games’ more competent switching 5s have all made him one of the most valuable Cavaliers.
Allen has taken continual strides on both ends of the floor for the Cavaliers, as he’s one of the franchises’ defensive pillars, as we noted, and his offensive footwork, finishing skill and low-post play have taken further steps forward.
His rolling and screening activity will always be well-known, but he’s gotten better and better as a finisher with touch as well. He has been able to take advantage consistently on the low block to convert plays, either to punish less physical players or from Allen using his quickness/ball fakes to beat slower matchups.
Also, while the splits don’t necessarily illuminate it, Allen has made subtle improvements with his passing in set offense, and his decision-making out of the short roll has been better over the course of the past two seasons.
Allen’s 2022-23 grade so far: A-
There have been some clunkers here and there for Allen from time to time, and he does need to cut down on turnovers a bit on-ball, but he’s been every bit as effective as he was last season. An “A-” grade is nothing to sneeze at.
Examining Kevin Love’s play prior to his buyout
Kevin Love started the season off fairly well for the Cavaliers, as he connected on 40.9 percent of his three-point attempts in the seasons’ first 15 games. In that stretch, he had 11.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest.
Nonetheless, it didn’t turn out to be the same season as last year for him. Love only shot 29.5 percent from three-point range in his next 22 appearances from there, and while he was still dealing with a thumb injury played into it surely, he had been out of Cleveland’s rotation before he and the team agreed to terms on a buyout.
Love still made a difference as a floor spacer for the Cavs drivers and rolling threats when he was in there, and his defensive rebounding, ball movement feel and steadying presence did still help to some extent. That said, the production offensively and as a perimeter shooter was not there nearly enough for the Cavaliers following that start to the season, and whether it was due to the thumb issue or just not re-establishing his rhythm, he was trending way downward.
Love was an invaluable leader for young Cavs players such as Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro, and he had his share of big moments for the Wine and Gold over the years, and was the last remaining member of the 2016 title team. He ranks second in Cavaliers history in three-pointers made, sixth in total rebounds, and ninth in total points; it’s understandable that his No. 0 jersey will eventually be in the rafters at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
It’ll be intriguing to see how he does with the Miami Heat now as well, if the 34-year-old finds his way in their rotation and gets healthier. Objectively, though, Love’s pre-All-Star play this season for the Cavaliers was definitely a big step down from that last season, when he was healthy and finished as the runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year.
Love’s 2022-23 grade with the Cavs prior to his buyout: C
Examining Robin Lopez’s play so far
Coming into the season, expectations weren’t exactly lofty when forecasting the outlook for Robin Lopez. He hadn’t been regularly involved in the Orlando Magic’s rotation the season prior, with them feasibly prioritizing young players getting developmental time, and from a Cavs’ standpoint, Allen and Mobley would figure to have the majority of the 5 man minutes.
Those caveats aside, Lopez seemed to be a decent offseason signing for playable depth in some matchups. He did still show he can be viable in spurts against more traditional 5s with the Magic, and in the season prior to that with the Washington Wizards. So, at least in theory, the Lopez signing was a sensible one by the Cavs in the offseason.
That’s not really been what’s transpired, though. Lopez has appeared in just 7.9 minutes per contest, in what’s been 30 appearances; in his time, he’s averaged 2.9 points and 1.3 rebounds.
There’s not been much as far as silver lining with Lopez on the floor this season, even with his signing likely being for some insurance and/or as mostly a locker room presence. It is Lopez’s 15th NBA season, and he’s bounced around a bunch, but his hook shot effectiveness when he has had some time on the floor hasn’t necessarily been there as much as one could’ve foreseen, and his defensive limitations have been apparent.
Lopez’s 2022-23 grade so far: C-
The dude is again in his 15th season, and it wasn’t likely that Lopez would be much of a regular contributor with Allen and Mobley in the fold. Even still, the results have not been too pretty when there’s been meaningful minutes for him. Perhaps Cleveland should utilize two-way player Isaiah Mobley more in spurts as opposed to Lopez, if injuries occur and Lopez were to have legit minutes.