The Cleveland Cavaliers haven't had Jarrett Allen on the floor for the past 10 games. As a result, Evan Mobley has had to play center much more often than he's used to, and the results have been somewhat underwhelming.
Mobley hasn't taken another leap after taking home the Defensive Player of the Year award last season. And even though playing out of position has obviously affected his presence on defense, he's not living up to that reputation recently.
That's why Mobley will have to get back to basics and return to being the game-wrecking defensive player he was last season. At least, that's how Chris Fedor of "The Wine and Gold Talk Podcast" feels. In the latest edition of the show, he called out Mobley for not keeping his foot on the gas after his breakout year last season.
Evan Mobley needs to keep up with other defensive superstars
Per Fedor, the Cavs should have a certain level of defensive floor when Mobley is on the floor, just like the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs do when they play Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama, respectively. That's a strong comparison, but he's not wrong.
Wembanyama is leading the league in defensive rating (101), per Basketball Reference. He also leads the league with 4.5 defensive win shares, has a 4.1 defensive box-plus-minus, and averages a league-best 3.1 blocks per game to go along with 1.1 steals.
Holmgren, on the other hand, is right behind him with 3.4 stocks per game, averaging 1.5 steals and 1.9 blocks. He has a defensive rating of 104 and a defensive box-plus-minus of 1.6 with 4.2 defensive win shares.
Then, we find Mobley. His defensive rating of 112 is significantly higher, and he's also behind in defensive win shares (2.7) and defensive box-plus-minus (1.3). On top of that, he averages just 0.9 steals and 1.8 blocks per game.
Those numbers aren't necessarily bad, but Mobley should be held to a higher standard after winning Defensive Player of the Year last season. It feels like his development has stalled on both ends of the floor, and the Cavs need him to be a disruptive defensive presence using his long frame to alter shots, get in passing lanes, and hold his own against bigger opposition in the paint.
The Cavs' defensive woes definitely don't fall solely on Mobley; that would be unfair and inaccurate to say. However, he's the head of the spear on that side of the court, and he's supposed to elevate this team's ceiling and lead the way when they need to get a stop.