5 games that defined the Cleveland Cavaliers 2022-23 regular season
No. 3: Evan Mobley has arrived
All season, Evan Mobley has dominated opponents on defense. His defensive prowess has turned almost the entirety of Ohio into an Evan Mobley fan club. Mobley has given no shortage of phenomenal performances this season.
The question for the sophomore star has been how he will perform against other top NBA post defenders. On January 21, Evan Mobley faced off against the Milwaukee Bucks and scored a career high 38 points on 70% from the field. While Giannis Antetokounmpo was absent in this contest, Evan Mobley faced off against Defensive Player of the Year contender and NBA blocks per game leader Brook Lopez.
The dominant showing gave more than just a game to praise. After the game, the world saw the bond between the players in Cleveland as Mobley received quite the surprise celebration from teammates during his interview with Bally Sports and Cavs’ sideline reporter Serena Winters.
Evan Mobley's career-high 38-point night calls for a special postgame celebration! #LetEmKnow | @cavs | @SerenaWinters pic.twitter.com/F2AhLCMZ9m
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) January 22, 2023
The core of Cleveland’s roster quickly became like family with Donovan Mitchell showing full loyalty to the city and team. Moments like these prove why win 1 through win 51 of the season came from a united, selfless team effort.
Similar to Isaac Okoro, an environment like such has given Evan Mobley the opportunity to grow his offensive game without concern over his teammates condemning every mistake. That’s just winning culture in basketball, honestly. And Cleveland has it.