The 4 most important Cavs in the playoffs not named Donovan Mitchell

No. 2: Evan Mobley

Recently, Atlanta Hawks backup center Onyeka Okongwu called Evan Mobley a unicorn, as of earlier this week. That was certainly not the first time this phrase has been used to describe Mobley’s potential dominance. On the defensive end, Mobley is already one of, if not the, best players in the NBA right now. In his sophomore season, Evan Mobley could potentially be in the final three competitors for Defensive Player of the Year, if the league’s last DPOY Ladder holds weight.

With his recent offensive surge in tow, Mobley’s potential playoff value is immeasurable. While his three-point shooting still has a long way to go, Mobley’s assertive drives and growing ball handling gives Cleveland another consistent threat on offense next to Garland, Mitchell, and Jarrett Allen.

Not only has Evan Mobley’s scoring improved, his passing and overall game sense is tremendously improved from last season. Mobley is never afraid to make the extra pass to an open shooter or throw up a lob to his frontcourt partner in Jarrett Allen.

Evan Mobley rising to the challenge on this stage can shift Cleveland’s contention possibility drastically. At such a young age, Evan Mobley may not keep his momentum going once the final regular season game has been played; however, with a talented center in Allen next to him and two creative guards setting him up, Mobley may find the confidence needed to define himself as a postseason performer already.