When things were bad for Evan Mobley, an unflattering nickname of Mr. 18-and-8 (or AT&T) emerged from the depths of NBA discourse. It was a joke pointed at the lack of development and consistently middling offerings the Cleveland Cavaliers big man brought to the table.
The criticisms did not end there. Mobley has been the low-hanging fruit for any disappointment surrounding the Cavaliers. Kevin O'Connor even went out of his way to clip a segment from his podcast about just how disappointing the former top-five pick has been.
O'Connor said, "Evan Mobley is the most overrated and disappointing player in all of the NBA. ... So disappointing that this guy has plateaued since he entered the NBA. ... He's not a true Defensive Player of the Year. He won that award because other guys didn't reach 65 games."
That was just the tip of the iceberg. Mobley, for his part, has powered through the punches and responded extremely well of late. His 34-point outing in the Cavaliers' most recent 122-113 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday was just the newest example of that.
Evan Mobley is quietly playing some of his best basketball in the NBA
The dominant outing against the Jazz added to a string of performances in which Mobley has looked stellar for the Cavaliers.
Jarrett Allen tweaked his knee against the Detroit Pistons earlier in the month. Since then, Mobley has been asked to slide to center and cover those duties a ton. The 24-year-old has performed well at the individual level.
Mobley is averaging 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.8 blocks in 31.0 minutes per game during that stretch. That comes with him shooting 64.6 percent from the field and showing added aggression in scoring down low.
Has the experience been perfect? No. Mobley has struggled as a free throw shooter. The outside shot has also not been falling for him, with only 21.7 of his 1.9 3-point attempts per game going down. That stretch even had an eight-point dud against the Miami Heat.
However, for a player who has show frustrating signs of inconsistency over the years, this recent version of Mobley is one that the Cavaliers and their fans will happily take.
Is there always room for more growth? Absolutely, and Cleveland would love to see it. However, for a player that has been at the end of several jokes this season, this is stretch has showcased a step in the right direction.