The Cleveland Cavaliers have taken a leap.
The playoffs are still a long ways off, and they will dictate whether or not this team is a bona fide title contender, but it's without question that this group has taken a step forward. They are a perfect 7-0 to start the season, with four-straight wins over teams that made the playoffs last season.
There are plenty of factors you can point to for the strong start, including the work new head coach Kenny Atkinson has done, the strong play from the backcourt and overall improved impact from a suddenly deep bench. But the most obvious factor has been the massive step forward taken by Evan Mobley in his fourth season.
After Mobley became one of the league's best defenders as a sophomore, he plateaued last season in a campaign riddled by injuries and couldn't overcome the cramped spacing of playing next to Jarrett Allen. This year, with a full offseason of development and a clean bill of health, Mobley is making his presence known.
Mobley has become a centerpiece of the offense, handling the ball much more as a facilitator and playmaker. His usage rate was consistently at 20 percent in all three previous seasons and has surged to 24.1 percent this year. After attempting between 12.6 and 13.0 shots per-36 minutes his first three seasons, Mobley is shooting 15.8 per-36 this year, all while maintaining his same level of efficiency.
In a marquee matchup with Anthony Davis, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers last week, Mobley absolutely dominated, scoring 25 points on 12-for-16 shooting from the floor in just 19 minutes of action in a 24-point blowout. Then, playing a massive Orlando Magic front line, he shot 6-for-11 for 14 points and 12 rebounds as they won handily.
Saturday night, Mobley had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists playing a desperate Milwaukee Bucks team, contributing to a last-minute win that may have keyed the beginning of the end for the Bucks' core.
It was a fitting moment for Mobley to get the win, even if he didn't personally dominate, because of who he was facing on the other side of the matchup: two-time MVP and clear Top-5 player in the league, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Evan Mobley is being compared to Giannis Antetokounmpo
In a recent article at The Athletic by the excellent Fred Katz, Mobley's new head coach Kenny Atkinson gushed about everything Mobley is able to do, even at a relatively young age. He shared that once he took over as coach and he actually saw Mobley in action during practice, he began shifting the offensive approach of the team to run more through their budding star.
The Cleveland Cavaliers would not have been blamed for breaking up the core of this team after their playoff disappointments the last two seasons, but instead they brought in an offensive-minded head coach to see if he could unlock something with this talented group of players. He has done so, and a major reason why it has worked thus far is the role Evan Mobley is playing.
How would Atkinson describe that role? He tells Katz that Mobley's new game this season is like "what Giannis (Antetokounmpo) does."
That's high praise - perhaps the highest praise possible for Atkinson to give. Giannis has been compared to many players in his young career, and often glowing reviews have pointed to All-Star players like Anthony Davis or Bam Adebayo.
But Antetokounmpo is a cut above, a two-time MVP who remains one of the very best players in the league. He is probably in the Top-30 players of all time and is still in his prime. The things that he can do on a basketball court as a rim-protecting big who can defend in space and also be an offensive engine, playmaking and scoring from all angles and dominating at the rim, is truly special.
That's the kind of player Evan Mobley is becoming. That's not to say he will be an MVP one day, but what Atkinson has unlocked thus far this season is a player who at least has a chance to be. Even if he merely becomes an All-Star that's an important step, and the ceiling is much higher.
Evan Mobley and the Cavaliers face Antetokounmpo again tonight, with Cleveland looking to stay unbeaten and Mobley facing another chance to show his mettle and put his stamp on the league.
Thus far, that stamp has been impressive. And it has drawn the most glowing of comparisons.