The Cleveland Cavaliers have two preseason games under their belts. Despite being 0-2 after a couple of losses to the Chicago Bulls, they have to be feeling pretty good about their team. The biggest reason for that? Evan Mobley.
After scoring 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc in the Cavaliers preseason debut on Tuesday, there were already positive signs with Mobley's offense. The rising star looked even better on Thursday night.
Mobley played 26 minutes in the Cavaliers' close 119-112 loss to the Bulls. The Cavaliers big man poured in 21 points, hitting 6-10 from the field and getting himself to the free throw line often, where he shot 8-of-10 from the charity stripe.
Evan Mobley shows off the handle for the Cavs first preseason bucket pic.twitter.com/H4ok5YmXNe
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) October 7, 2025
The first game against the Bulls showed flashes of improved dribbling. The Cavaliers' second preseason game showed off impressive offensive aggression. Both of those were elements Cleveland and their fans were looking for from Mobley. The 24-year-old is setting himself up to deliver on the highly-desired boosts to his offensive game.
Mobley quickly showing the offensive growth Cavaliers have been waiting for
Mobley showed up at Cavaliers Media Day and immediately expressed his desire to be a better offensive player. The star big man talked about the offseason drills and work that had been done on his on-ball game. That got fans in Cleveland excited.
It was everything that was being pleaded for in major discussion points around Mobley. Whether it was the fans, the media, or anyone else, this was the step being identified in what would take the rising star to the next level.
Mobley showed confidence in the fact that every year he had shown signs of progression. There was almost a swagger to him expecting that for himself in 2025-26.
Mobley said, "Every year I've been making leaps and leaps. The past few years have been bigger leaps and bigger leaps. This year I'm planning to do the same thing and do another big leap. ... I'm going to strive for that every day."
The silver lining to the unfortunate injuries suffered by Darius Garland and Max Strus would be the fact that Mobley will undoubtedly get his shot.
Donovan Mitchell, De'Andre Hunter, and himself should be getting the bulk of the scoring opportunities while those two remain out of the lineup. That was certainly the case for the Cavaliers on Thursday with the trio combining for 63 of their team's 112 points.
The rise of Mobley is such an important storyline for the Cavaliers this season because of what it represents. If the former top-five pick is the best player in Cleveland by year's end, it will be an important piece of the puzzle slotting in to the championship formula.