What will Evan Mobley’s 2023-24 statline look like for the Cavs?
Evan Mobley was one of the best defenders in the league last season. He earned 101 total points for the DPOY votes, but ultimately got third place in the Defensive Player of the Year race, losing to Jaren Jackson Jr. and the runner-up Brook Lopez. Mobley was on All-Defensive First Team, and was the youngest NBA player to ever be a top three candidate for DPOY.
Mobley’s defense has been out of this world, even since he was a rookie. He averaged 1.7 blocks per game as a rookie, and was even better last year on the defensive end. He averaged 12.4 contested shots per game in the playoffs, according to NBA.com’s hustle data, which ranked fourth in the league in total. Jarrett Allen, Mobley’s partner in the frontcourt, ranked 10th in the league in that stat.
Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen make to be a fearsome duo on the defensive end. Mobley can switch on to smaller defenders, and Allen is a great presence in the paint.
Even though Mobley’s an otherworldly defensive player, his offense is solid, too. He averaged 16.2 points last season, and also added in 2.8 assists per game as a power forward. His three-point shot is still a work in progress, and is ways away from becoming a feared jump-shooter. His release is a bit slow, but that can be fixed with practice.
The tools are all there for Mobley to become an all-time great. His defense is already up there, and if his offense ever comes around, he should be a Hall of Fame level player. With that being said, is there reason to believe he’ll be an All-Star next year? Honestly, why not? If he can be healthy, of which he played 79 regular season games last year, then yes, he can be an All-Star.
Realistically, his jumpshooting likely won’t be insane next year. He shot 39.6 percent from the mid-range area, which is okay. For a second year player that’s mainly a paint scorer, that’s okay. It’s around average, so he’s not amazing there, but not horrendous, either.
One of Mobley’s most underrated attributes is his lack of fouling. He only averaged 2.8 fouls per game last year. Mobley’s 2.8 fouls per game ranked 36th highest in the entire league. A player who blocks a lot of shots and has that little amount of fouls is incredible, and isn’t talked about enough.
He’s a solid rebounder, too. 9.0 rebounds per game is a fine statistic, but considering he is 7-foot and ranked 20th in the league last year for rebounds per game, he’d probably like to get that number higher. His 2.4 offensive rebounds per game ranked 22nd last season, for what it’s worth.
Rebounding the basketball goes hand in hand with strength. That is not to say Mobley’s scrawny, but even since he came into the league, many people have wanted Mobley to add strength and go to the weight room. He did reportedly make it a point of emphasis in the second half of the season to get stronger, and that played into him being more assertive offensively then.
However, still, to put things into perspective, Mobley is listed at 215 pounds, while 6-foot-1 Donovan Mitchell is listed at 216 pounds. A shooting guard who weighs more than a power forward, even while there is almost a whole foot of a height difference, is absurd.
Anyway, with all of those things in mind, here, we’ll predict Mobley’s statline for next season. He can make a big jump, and be an even better player next year than he was last season. Here’s the prediction for Mobley’s traditional statline for next season.
18 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game
Mobley should be a better passer next season, and his additional playmaking on the roster is going to be a reason the Cavaliers will be a top four seed in the Eastern Conference, and hopefully be able to have a deep postseason run.
Mobley has the chance to win Defensive Player of the Year, something that has never been done by a Cavalier ever. Looking at these stats that were predicted, there is no reason that Mobley cannot be in the running to be an All-Star, and no doubt will be an All-Defensive player.
It’ll be great to watch Mobley’s progression, and it’ll exciting to see what his career will look like when we are looking back to see one of the league’s all-time great defenders.