Friday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers faced a difficult test. Riding a 15-game winning streak, the Cavs took on the Memphis Grizzlies without MVP-candidate Donovan Mitchell, while the Grizz were getting back All-Star forward Jaren Jackson Jr.
Yet again, however, the Cavaliers dispatched a foe with ease, holding a 20-point lead for most of the game and ultimately winning by nine. On the road and without their best offensive player, the Cavs barely broke a sweat against the second-best team in the Western Conference.
It was also yet another showcase game for rising superstar Evan Mobley. The fourth-year big man is having a phenomenal breakout season, and on Friday night faced his current foil in the league -- Jaren Jackson Jr. is the type of elite versatile defender and involved offensive engine that Mobley is aspiring to be. Or, perhaps it should be phrased, who he aspired to be.
Evan Mobley has arrived
Mobley has already arrived, and he is better now than Jackson and continuing to improve. Mobley dropped a team-high 22 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three STOCKs (steals + blocks) on the Grizzlies, finishing +16 in their nine-point win. Jackson Jr., on the other hand, had 13 points, three rebounds and five fouls, finishing -21 on the night (he did have six STOCKs because he's also a great player, but Mobley clearly got the better of him).
The breakout for Mobley is real. He is the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, ahead of Jackson Jr., and has improved his game in nearly every way. He is averaging 18.6 points per game as an active hub on offense, touching the ball on nearly every possession. His fouls are down while his rim-protecting is up, and he is drawing more fouls than ever before.
The most shocking improvement has been as a shooter. He is averaging 1.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, more than his previous three seasons combined. He had 67 made triples total in three seasons, and already has 65 this season with another 16 games to go. The transformation has been incredible.
That's why Evan Mobley is on track not only to win Defensive Player of the Year, but to make an All-NBA team as well. Even if the Cavaliers work in some rest games, Mobley just needs to appear in six more games to qualify for end-of-year awards. Making Third-Team All-NBA will increase his salary for next season from 25 percent of the salary cap to 27.5; if he makes Second Team or wins Defensive Player of the Year, it will go all the way to 30 percent, matching his salary to Mitchell's.
It seems to nearly be a lock that Mobley will make Second-Team All-NBA at this point, as his two-way impact for a historically great team demands recognition. And in the process, Mobley may be bringing validation to the Cavaliers as an inner-circle contender.
Three All-NBA players is a rare feat
It is an annual occurrence to see an NBA team land two players on an All-NBA team, and the Cavaliers should join that group this season, alongside other contenders like the New York Knicks (Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns), the Milwaukee Bucks (Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard), the Oklahoma City Thunder (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams) and the Boston Celtics (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown).
Yet what the Cavaliers could do that is not common at all is land three players on an All-NBA team. The league awards that honor to just 15 players each season, and for one team to dominate enough to fill 20 percent of those slots is a rare occurrence indeed.
Since the NBA added a Third-Team All-NBA for the 1988-89 season, only four teams have ever placed three different players on an All-NBA team in the same season. Two of those occurrences were by the dynastic Golden State Warriors: in 2015-16 it was Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, and the following year Kevin Durant replaced Thompson. The 2017 Warriors cruised to a title, while the 2016 Warriors won 73 games and - well, I don't have to tell Cavaliers fans what happened in the NBA Finals.
In 2014-15, the Los Angeles Clippers placed Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan on the team; it should be said Jordan made it as the third center over a number of more qualified guards and forwards because of the positional designations. That Clippers team was viewed as a legitimate contender, although they only won 56 games and fell apart in the Second Round to lose to the Houston Rockets.
Finally, the 2004-05 Phoenix Suns had the best record in the NBA at 62-20, with three deserving All-NBA players: Steve Nash, Amar'e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion. They had the league's best offense by a desert mile and were a legitimate contender, ultimately losing to the rival Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
That the Cavaliers are a legitimate threat to place three players on All-NBA Teams speaks to their dominance this season, led by Donovan Mitchell, supported by Darius Garland and propelled by Evan Mobley's breakout.
This team is for real, and Mobley yet again dominating his peers is only more proof. The playoffs are coming, and the Cavaliers are ready.