The Cleveland Cavaliers have identified superstar big man Evan Mobley as the key to winning the franchise's second NBA Finals.
Cleveland sits fifth in the Eastern Conference through the first seven games, holding a 4-3 record while waiting for Darius Garland and Max Strus to return from injury. The early-season storyline for the Cavs has undoubtedly been injuries and bad health. Garland and Strus have yet to make a season debut, and Jarrett Allen, Donovan Mitchell and Sam Merrill have all missed time already, too.
While the Cavs fight to get healthy, the rest of the team is attempting to pick up the slack. Sophomore wing Jaylon Tyson has likely been the biggest surprise of the year thus far, becoming a legitimate three-point threat and shown exciting defensive upside. Alongside Tyson, rookie Tyrese Proctor and young point guard Craig Porter, Jr. have made noticeable contributions, giving credit to the Cavs' depth.
Still, Cleveland has not looked perfect this season. Against the Toronto Raptors, the Cavs were unable to hold onto a double-digit lead, eventually losing 112-101 in a disappointing loss.
Outside of Tyson and the young Cavaliers prospects, Evan Mobley has stood out as one of the few positives amid this rough season start.
Evan Mobley is finally going through offensive growing pains
In his first seven games, Mobley is averaging 19.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He has also recorded a career-high 24.4 percent usage rate and assumed the role of full-time center in the last two games while Jarrett Allen recovers from injury.
Offensively, Mobley is taking on a much larger role both as a scorer and ball handler. He has attempted 15 field goals per game with 5.2 three-pointers per night. With increased volume, Mobley's efficiency has dipped to start the year, and his shot diet has been questionable at times. Despite poor shooting, the Cavaliers must continue to push Mobley to make these mistakes and develop his offense.
Since drafting Mobley in 2021, the unicorn big man has accomplished much, being named to All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defense rosters alongside winning the first Defensive Player of the Year award in team history. All of his accolades in four seasons have made his position with the Cavaliers obvious: Mobley is the Cavs' cornerstone alongside Donovan Mitchell.
With Mobley at the center of Cleveland's future, the Cavs have pushed him to take a step forward offensively and to become an aggressive scorer. Mobley has shown inconsistent aggression, taking an active role on offense only to disappear into the background in the second half if he loses his confidence.
Despite poor shooting splits this year, Mobley is arguably enjoying the best offensive season of his career so far. In the Cavs' most recent game against the Atlanta Hawks, Mobley showed the mental growth the Cavaliers have needed to see for years. The Cavs star scored 14 points and shot six-of-16 from the field. He only connected on one three-pointer out of three attempts.
What mattered most, though, was Mobley's willingness to take another shot. In the fourth quarter, Mobley's aggression waned momentarily. He passed up on an open mid-range jumpshot from the left elbow, leading to a bad pass to the wing which turned into a steal and fastbreak opportunity for the Hawks.
A few possessions later, Mobley found himself open on the perimeter above the break, and rather than passing out of the shot, he rose up and knocked it down. He scored 8 of his 14 points in the final period, helping the Cavaliers hold the Hawks back from their attempted late-game rally. If Mobley had disappeared and stopped shooting, he would have opened up an exploitable weakness for Atlanta to use.
Instead of relying on his teammates to make the tough shots down the stretch, Mobley stepped up. He proved to the team and to himself that games can be won by his continued scoring. The Cleveland Cavaliers are finally experiencing Mobley's growing pains to become a legitimate superstar. The early stages may mean uncomfortable losses and a head-scratching moments, but that development could be the key to a greater postseason run for Evan Mobley and the Cavs.