Evan Mobley, similarly to other Cleveland Cavaliers, did not have the greatest playoffs. Cleveland lost to the New York Knicks in only five games, and the Cavaliers formidable quartet of Mobley, Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen didn’t collectively play up to their standards.
As it pertained to Garland and Mobley, in particular, one had to have given them some slack, in fairness. That first round series in April versus New York was the first playoff series for those two youngsters, so there were going to be some head-scratching moments.
Both did still have their moments, on the plus side, and Mobley was still great on defense. Cleveland was still effective for the most part on that end of the floor, too; one of the biggest problems unfortunately was New York’s offensive rebounding. There were several games in that series where New York outmuscled and outhustled the Cavs on the glass and in retrieving contested loose balls.
Even with that being the case, all things considered, it’s clear that going into next season, the Cavaliers have to have more perimeter shooting legitimacy to help maximize Garland and Mitchell, and for Mobley to flourish.
Fittingly, Cleveland has been linked to a bunch of wing shooting targets, seemingly both via the trade and free agent variety. One would have to assume the Cavaliers do end up bringing in shooting this offseason, to further complement their core guys.
That being said, this next season and overall, it’s becoming increasingly clear for Cleveland to reach its max capacity, the aforementioned Mobley is the key. Furthermore, the signs have to be there that he can be the top dog for this Wine and Gold squad sooner than later.
Next season, Mobley has to show how he’ll eventually be “the guy” for the Cavs.
The best player currently on the Cavaliers is the aforementioned Mitchell, and the second is debatable, whether one has Garland or Mobley there. From my perspective, it’s probably Mobley for his two-way impact.
The offense has to come more from Mobley next season, still, and that’s becoming increasingly apparent.