Not long after Evan Mobley took the floor for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season as a rookie, it was clear he would be a vital part of the Cavs long-term plan.
Those around the league were high on Mobley’s potential heading into his sophomore NBA season after a stellar rookie campaign.
As this season has progressed, Mobley is growing more confident on the offensive end of the floor. In fact, over his last 10 games, Mobley is averaging 18.6 points per game on 59 percent shooting.
While the offensive growth has been impressive, Mobley is already an elite defender. On the surface, Mobley averages 1.5 blocks per game, but the numbers get more impressive as you dig deeper.
This season Mobley is third in the entire league with 11.4 shot contests per game and is second in the NBA in three-pointers contested per game at 3.6. He also does an excellent job at defending jump shots and floaters.
An aspect of Mobley’s defensive game that sets him apart from other defenders his size is his ability to defend the perimeter and stay with the quickest guards in the league. He also does a great job of contesting shots without fouling.
While the future is ultra-bright for the Cavaliers young big man, let’s look back at three of his most impressive games this season, starting with a recent road game.
No. 1: March 23 at the Brooklyn Nets
On the second night of the Cavaliers mini-series road trip to Brooklyn, Mobley came up big for the Wine and Gold.
Mobley helped pace the Cavaliers in the first half with 12 points, six rebounds, and a pair of blocks. He would lead all Cleveland players in scoring in the final quarter, scoring eight points, and was great on the defensive side of the ball.
On a night when Darius Garland was just 4-of-16 shooting and the bench tacking on just 23 points, Mobley’s contribution on the offensive end of the floor was critical for the Cavaliers on this night.
Throughout the season, Mobley has shown an expanded offensive game and has a plethora of moves he can go to in the paint to score. He is also excellent at gathering offensive rebounds and finishing putbacks.
While Mobley’s offensive game is still growing, him showing he can be a consistent, reliable scoring option will only help the Cavs moving forward.
No. 2: March 6 vs. the Boston Celtics
Earlier this month, Mobley showed out against of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
Like the game in Brooklyn, Garland was having a rough shooting night, and fellow big man Jarrett Allen played just 26 minutes and scored only four points.
In stepped Mobley on the offensive end. The second-year big man scored 25 points on an ultra-effective 10-of-14 shooting. Mobley also grabbed 17 total rebounds, including five offensive boards, and rejected three shots.
This game was just another display of the complete player Mobley already has become in year two. While his offensive game is still a work in progress, Mobley has already shown an increased aggressiveness on offense and an ability to score in several ways.
While the Cavaliers ideally would like to have Donovan Mitchell and Garland going offensively, Mobley proved on this night he could be a trusted source of offense against a top-tier team. Granted, Jayson Tatum was not in action in that contest, but it doesn’t diminish how well Mobley performed.
No. 3: Jan. 21 vs. the Milwaukee Bucks
On a night when the Cavaliers top scorer was out of the lineup, the Wine and Gold would look for someone else to step up on offense.
Mobley would score a season-high 38 points on 70 percent from the floor while grabbing nine rebounds, including three offensive boards. Mobley also finished with a game-best +20 plus-minus rating.
Now, this performance came against a Milwaukee Bucks squad without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. But Mobley still had to battle with Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis, and he showed assertiveness all night long without sacrificing his performance on the defensive end.
In a season where Mobley has played 75 games, with the vast majority of them being solid to stellar performances, it is tough to highlight only three of those games.
With Mobley putting up performances like the ones discussed above in just year two, one can only imagine what Mobley will be able to do in the coming season with an even more developed offensive game and more time to add strength, which will only make him tougher to handle on the defensive end.
We are watching a true superstar in the making, and luckily for Cleveland, he is on their side.