Thus far, it’s been a mixed bag for Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley

Mobley has shown some growth as a screener early on this season, which will pay dividends as he gains more experience, and his passing development cannot be understated. His playmaking seems to be taking another step forward.

The sample size has been six games, but Mobley has had 3.7 assists per outing, and has had an assist rate of 16.5 percent.

Even with Cleveland missing Garland in four of their games, Mobley has found ways to get others involved. Whether it’s been from timely handoffs, making plays at the elbows or short roll, or occasionally via grab-and-go sequences, his passing has been impressive. Hopefully, that trend continues from Evan Mobley, even with Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland back in the fold.

The Cavs stressed in the offseason and seemingly into the offseason how Mobley would be set for a playmaking uptick, and utilizing him in that way should pay off for his personal growth and make Cleveland more multiple. His budding chemistry with Max Strus, for example, leads one to believe he can continue to ascend as a passer as the season progresses.

Along with the passing development, while Cleveland as a group still has to iron some things out, Mobley has still done his part often on defense as well.

Being without Allen for most of the season, and Cleveland still working in their new guys, has led to some defensive lapses and inconsistency as an overall unit, however, Mobley again has still made some big plays.

He’s had 2.5 blocks and his career average of 0.8 steals per contest. His block rate has been a robust 6.2 percent thus far. His timing and shot contests have continued to make an impact, and as Cleveland gets more on-point in incorporating their new faces, the Cavs should be able to utilize Mobley in more diverse roles and coverages.

To reiterate, he is nearly always going to be great defensively, and he should only get better there. His rebounding positioning this season has been better, too, and ideally, he can maybe be used to initiate earlier offense after defensive rebounds as he gets more comfortable. There have been some early signs of that.

Anyway, while he has to show more on offense game-to-game, and assert himself more on that end of the floor for the Cavs to be at their best, Mobley has still helped Cleveland in a number of ways early on.

As the Cavaliers get healthier and more in-rhythm as a group, that should bode well for Mobley. He just can’t have stretches, let alone halves, where he’s not engaged nearly enough, and too passive, on offense. It’s safe to say that when he’s aggressive, good things happen.