Cavs Stock Up, Stock Down since the All-Star break

When the Cleveland Cavaliers got blown out by the Atlanta Hawks in their second game after the All Star break, there was a cloud of concern hanging over the Land. Fortunately, the Cavs have since righted the ship by going 6-2 in their last eight games including tough wins over the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.

This stretch has allowed them to extend their lead over the pesky New York Knicks and the resilient Brooklyn Nets to three games and move one step closer to homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. From Donovan Mitchell continuing his elite play to Evan Mobley blossoming before our very eyes to Lamar Stevens’ junkyard dog mentality on the court, the Cavaliers are playing at a high level right now.

Here are the players whose stocks are rising, holding steady, and falling since the break.

We’ll begin with the player whose stock is soaring.

Stock Up: Evan Mobley

Evan Mobley’s ability has never been questioned. He has all the tools to be the next great NBA big man, often drawing comparisons to Anthony Davis and Kevin Garnett. Mobley is already one of the best defensive players in the league, as he is among the league leaders in total contested shots (3rd), contested shots per game (7th) and blocks (9th). However, the goal for Mobley has been to unlock the offensive potential that everyone knows he has.

Since the All-Star break, Mobley is averaging 18 points and 9 rebounds per game while shooting 52% from the field. His playmaking has also taken a step forward, as he has 4 games with 3 or more assists. He has also not scored under 12 points in any game since the break as well. Teams are going to keep keying in on Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, opening things up for Mobley.

He has been a force down low so far, and if he keeps his offensive aggressiveness up, the Cavs will be very tough to beat.

Stock Steady: Darius Garland

After a rocky start to the season, Darius Garland has been a steady hand for the Cavs at the point guard spot. Garland is shooting a scorching 42% from three-point range this season, good enough for 12th in the league. He is also averaging 22 points and 8 assists per game as well, an all-around offensive weapon.

While it seemed that he was deferring to Donovan Mitchell a lot during the early part of the season, Garland has picked up his level of aggression significantly, averaging 24 points since the All-Star break on shooting 50% from the field. He has also added in seven assists per game in that span.

Garland is at his best when he is attacking the defense with his three-level scoring and playmaking. Defenses will have their hands full trying to stop him and Mitchell. He needs to keep this level of play up as the Cavs enter the postseason, and continue to be a reliable Robin to Mitchell’s Batman.

Stock Down: Dean Wade

D-Wade went back to Dean Wade real quick. Wade went from a core piece of the Cavaliers potential playoff rotation to dropping out of the rotation entirely. After shooting a respectable 37% from deep and ranking near the top of the team in defensive rating in January, Wade has been colder than the Ohio weather recently. Since the All-Star break, Wade has gone 2-of-16 from three-point range, and to top it all off, he has gone scoreless in his 59 minutes in March so far.

Due to that, he has been replaced in the rotation with Lamar Stevens and has not played many meaningful minutes since. The wings for the Cavaliers have been inconsistent all season and Wade was supposed to be one of the guys that could be relied on for his shooting and defending.

He had the opportunity to separate himself and become a key piece for the Cavs come playoff time after he was back from injury, but now he has to fight back to even sniff the rotation.