What The Ringer got right and very wrong in ranking Cavaliers

Where did Evan Mobley rank among the NBA’s best players?

Directly after Garland is his own teammate, Evan Mobley as the 36th-best NBA player. With this year’s Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson, Jr. ranked only three spots higher at 33, Mobley’s position is in itself tremendous for somebody of his young age.

The 2022 No. 3 overall draft selection averaged 1.5 blocks, 16.2 points on 59.1 percent true shooting, and nine rebounds each night out. The Ringer’s Michael Pina suggested that “[Evan Mobley] may already be [Cleveland’s] most important player” – high praise for somebody who just finished their second season. Being named in the 2022-2023 NBA All-Defensive First Team has certainly catapulted Evan Mobley’s respect among NBA analysts, and rightfully so.

Mobley has drawn comparisons to numerous NBA defensive legends, including Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and current NBA international megastar Giannis “Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo.

Though Mobley’s defense atop the NBA’s best, his offensive shortcomings will need to be addressed in order to find himself climbing the ladder of NBA rankings. This is surely possible, though, as Mobley constantly shows flashes of what his career will eventually be.

Only time will tell how far Mobley can go as a scorer and playmaker, but he has already eclipsed the rest of his draft class with his position at 36.