The Cleveland Cavaliers frontcourt has seen a fair amount of turnover since the team entered a rebuild in the 2018 summer.
Immediately following LeBron James’ second exit from the Land, the starting center spot was shared among Ante Zizic, Kevin Love, and Marquese Chriss. Eventually, Andre Drummond joined Cleveland’s ranks after being traded from the Detroit Pistons. Before his arrival, Drummond was a two-time NBA All-Star and first-time All-NBA team selection in 2016. He spent roughly a season-and-a-half with the Cavs until he was inevitably traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021.
After Drummond’s exit, Cleveland found a young, developing center who immediately impacted their team defense for the better. Jarrett Allen was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to Cleveland as one of James Harden’s many recent trade requests.
A year later, Cleveland’s frontcourt received another impeccable boost when they selected Evan Mobley third overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. In two seasons together, the duo took the Cavaliers from a team in the bottom of the league’s defensive rating to the top defense in the 2022-23 regular season.
Mobley and Allen swatted a way a combined 203 shot attempts last season and were both in the top 15 among the NBA defensive win shares at 11.1 and 9.1, respectively. Mobley ended the season third in Defensive Player of the Year votes and received an All-Defense First Team selection.
All of this said with two players under 26 years old seems like an undeniably perfect pairing, but rumors continue to occur regarding splitting up the dynamic duo.
What’s the reason for the Mobley-Allen apprehension? The most obvious answer is Cleveland’s unimpressive playoff run against the New York Knicks. Both players were nonexistent in aggression on the boards, leading to the Knicks humiliating the Cavaliers in rebounding totals.
Additionally, neither player can stretch the floor and score reliably from outside the paint. Mobley has shown flashes of a mid-range attack, but his offense is still raw. In a league so focused on perimeter shooting, plenty of onlookers have credible reason to doubt the longevity of this iteration of Cleveland’s frontcourt.
There’s still a chance, but this season will be a make-or-break year for Mobley and Allen.
While the partnership has questions, there is no denying that their presence was a leading factor in Cleveland’s 51-31 regular season record. Every year, the 50-win mark places your team in an elite club of competitors. The Cavs nucleus is only getting better, granting strong reason to believe this success can be repeated.
But, a great regular season record clearly means little if home court advantage is wasted in the playoffs. The future is uncertain for Mobley and Allen, but with the youth of Cleveland’s roster, there is a multitude of reasons to hold out hope for their fit.
The 2023-24 season will be a proving ground for the two players that they learned from their faults in the postseason. Both will be under the microscope of the coaching staff and front office.
These are three reasons that Cleveland’s frontcourt can prove to be the right long-term pairing as the Cavs fight to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy once again.
Reason No. 1: Cleveland’s improved shooting depth gives Mobley and Allen a shot
Though the Cavaliers had a terrific regular season, their lack of 3-point shooting accuracy severely weighed down their lethality come the postseason.
There was no shortage of well deserved criticism regarding Cleveland’s lackluster wing depth and shooting failures during both the regular season and playoffs. Outside of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, and Caris LeVert (Kevin Love, as well, before his buyout), the Cavs were no threat from beyond the arc and were often ignored by defenses.
Cleveland president of basketball operations Koby Altman wasted no time addressing this problem with a sign-and-trade for Miami sharpshooting wing Max Strus and offering career deadeye Georges Niang a multi-year contract.
In the 2023 NBA Draft, the Cavaliers took a flyer on 6-foot-9 forward Emoni Bates. After a poor showing in college, Bates’ draft stock plummeted, leaving him available for the Cavs at pick No. 49. In Summer League, Bates started off inefficient but quickly found his groove to become a knockdown shooter and terrific teammate.
He has yet to contribute to a real NBA roster, but the path for Bates to become a rotational player in Cleveland is not as treacherous as it may have seemed on draft night. The possibility of adding Bates into the mix eventually with Strus and Niang only furthers the idea that Mobley and Allen will have a plethora of options that make up for their lack of range.
Assuming the Cavaliers can utilize Strus and Niang to their fullest potential, this opens up the court for Mobley and Allen to operate within the post without a suffocating defense they cannot punish. When the duo had space in the post, they were a dazzling walking highlight reel together.
Evan Mobley has quickly been developing a fantastic court vision, and Jarrett Allen has been the benefactor of many of Mobley’s quick trigger passes.
This summer, Koby Altman suggested that Evan Mobley will be an offensive facilitator for the Cavs more this next season, which will give Cleveland a chance to capitalize off of their improved shooting and existing chemistry within their frontcourt.
Along with the team’s overall improvements, both players have plenty to offer individually.
Reason No. 2: Personal development from Mobley and Allen will make the Cavaliers unstoppable
On top of embracing their new teammates, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have their own lessons to take from the playoffs.
The rumors and speculation on the duo probably does not happen if they could keep up with the physicality the Knicks had. It goes beyond the physical; it was a brutal mental defeat by both players, too.
While Mobley’s defense was still stellar in the series, he could not position himself correctly for rebounds quite enough and was sheepish with the ball in his hands. Allen started the series with energy and reckless abandon, but by tipoff in Game 3, he disappeared.
They need to be tougher, physically and mentally. The upside is that there is a clear path to improvement. Dedication to the weight room takes mental fortitude that will then translate into a better physique.
The spotlight was on Mobley to improve in this realm, considering the team’s expectations for Mobley to become the next great Cavalier alongside Garland. It seems Mobley knows this and is taking it serious. Mobley reportedly installed a home gym shortly after the playoff loss, suggesting he will enter next season with a more dominant on-court presence.
Additionally, this sort of buy-in from Mobley is leadership through action. His behavior will hopefully compel Allen to do the same. There has been little word on Allen’s offseason approach, but with training camp soon underway, the outcome of their effort will be seen.
Finally, a key reason to believe in the duo is that they are answering the number one question every contender struggles to fulfill.
Reason No. 3: Keeping their defensive identity alive is the key to winning the NBA Finals
Even though Kevin Durant might suggest otherwise on Twitter, defense wins championships. The better team wins the NBA Finals in a seven-game series, but without a way to stop your opponent from scoring, no team will have an easy time adorning themselves with the shining rings of champions.
Yes, the Cavaliers need to score to win. But, once again, their offensive struggles are actively under improvement. Additionally, any level of offensive improvement from Mobley and Allen only serves to add to their chances.
There is no telling whether or not Allen will finish his career or even current contract with the Cavaliers, but most recent trade rumors for Jarrett Allen would undercut Cleveland’s defense without question. A stretch five is tempting, but it is hard to imagine a winning Cavs team that loses their defensive identity.
With everything Mobley and Allen have to offer, their fit together is still the best option forward right now. The Cavaliers would likely not get a good enough return for Allen to trade him. There are still ways to improve, including free agency and other trade opportunities that do not ship Allen away.
Only time will tell, but for all the worthy criticism, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are cause for optimism in Cleveland.