Evan Mobley is quickly losing a debate Cavaliers fans have endlessly defended

Evan Mobley versus Scottie Barnes has been a long-running debate that dates back to the 2021 NBA Draft. Cleveland Cavaliers fans have fought tooth and nail in defense of their guy being the better player throughout the years. The 2025-26 NBA season is tipping the scales away from that stance.

Mobley struck the fist blow, by a technicality. The Cavaliers big man got selected third overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. The Toronto Raptors selected Barnes with the following pick at number four.

Scottie snatched the chain during the 2021-22 season. Both rookies fought valiantly, but it was ultimately Barnes who came away with the Rookie of the Year over Mobley. The Raptors star also won the race to an All-Star selection, joining the festivities in 2023-24 with his first nod.

Mobley's tremendous 2024-25 season pushed momentum back in his favor. An All-Star spot, All-NBA honors, and Defensive Player of the Year reasserted his dominance against his draft class peer. The halted momentum during this campaign has done little to build on that success.

Scottie Barnes has overtaken Evan Mobley yet again

Mobley has been given every opportunity to take a leap with the Cavaliers in 2025-26. The results have not been there.

The desired jump for Mobley was always on the offensive end. The Cavaliers paved the way for their big man to enjoy a career-high in field goals attempted per game. All that has gotten them is a drop-off in his efficiency.

Mobley's points per game have actually dropped, albeit marginally. The star big man scored 18.5 a night in 2024-25. That number is down to 18.3.

The real problem here is his true shooting percentage dropping off from 63.3 last season to just 57.3 in 2025-26. Mobley is notably averaging the most 3-point shots per game of his career, but only connecting on 34.2 percent of them.

His struggles have contributed to the Cavaliers falling incredibly short of their lofty expectations thus far. While Mobley has struggled as a supporting star, Barnes has thrived as the best player on his team.

Despite struggling recently due to Jakob Poeltl's injury issues, the Raptors still enjoy a better record and higher seed in the Eastern Conference in large part due to their leading man. Barnes has been that guy for Toronto.

Brandon Ingram might be the leading scorer for the Raptors, but there should be no mistaking who has impacted winning most. Barnes' two-way contributions have been nothing short of elite.

The Raptors star forward is carving out a strong case for his first All-NBA Defensive selection. Barnes enjoys the best defensive rating on the team per 100 possessions out of any player with a minimum of 100 minutes played. That comes with averaging 1.3 steals per game and 1.5 blocks per game.

Barnes' scoring continues to hover around 19 points per game. However, the efficiency with his scoring touch is at career highs across multiple categories. His effectiveness as a passer remains strong too.

The versatility of Barnes cannot be understated. His mind-boggling triple-double in a recent win against the Golden State Warriors only served as a reminder of that. 23 points, 25 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals, and one block is absurd impact that can't be ignored.

The advanced numbers back up him being a star who regularly impacts winning basketball. Barnes is leading the Raptors in win shares, box plus/minus, and value over replacement player.

Stacking the two up at present can be summarized on a much simpler level too.

One of these two stars is on an underachieving team with frustrations ramping up. The other guy is the leading catalyst of his squad overachieving expectations. It's not hard to guess which player is which.

Barnes has taken the lead on Mobley yet again. It is worth wondering when, or if, the Cavaliers star takes the crown back.