Evan Mobley's teammates on the Cleveland Cavaliers have all but forced him to advocate for himself in the media. To put himself out there and tell the world that he deserves to win Defensive Player of the Year.
He will never be as brash as Draymond Green, who has his own podcast and points to himself as the best at everything, always. Yet Mobley did agree to go on the Hoop Collective podcast with ESPN's Brian Windhorst to discuss his career in Cleveland and how this season has gone.
Mobley, who teammate Jarrett Allen just called the "key" to the Cavaliers' ascension this season, was asked about his rookie season, when Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors edged him out for Rookie of the Year. Mobley's response made it clear: it bothered him then, and it still bothers him now.
He spoke about how he has used that slight as motivation to improve -- and improve he has. Mobley was an excellent defensive player as a rookie; he has grown on that end, including his versatility to thrive at the 4 or the 5. On offense he took a massive step forward this season as well, putting himself in the All-NBA conversation and making his first All-Star Game.
Thursday night, the NBA will announce the Defensive Player of the Year award for the 2024-25 season. Mobley is one of the three finalists, alongside Green and Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels. There has been public support among the media for all three of these players, making it a genuine question mark as to who will win the award.
Whether Mobley wins or loses the award, he will gain something on Thursday night.
Evan Mobley will get paid -- or get angry
Last summer, coming off of his third season in the league, Evan Mobley was eligible to sign an extension on his initial four-year rookie contract. He agreed to a maximum contract extension, which for a player with his experience level is 25 percent of the salary cap. Given current projections, that is estimated to be $224 million over five seasons, beginning next year.
Mobley and his team negotiated something else into his contract as well: something called a "Rose Rule" provision. Derrick Rose famously won the MVP award while on his rookie contract but was still only eligible for the lower amount for a good young player -- not the lofty numbers more veteran players were able to make. In response, the new CBA was negotiated to have a clause for players who achieved the highest of heights while on their rookie deals.
If Mobley wins MVP, makes an All-NBA team or wins Defensive Player of the Year, he will be eligible for a larger percentage of the salary cap. If he makes Third Team All-NBA, he will get a bump to a contract starting at 27.5 percent of the cap. If he makes Second Team or above, or wins Defensive Player of the Year, he will gain that full 30 percent.
That difference is significant; his salary would bump up to $270 million over that five years. It is very possible he lands on the Third Team for All-NBA, which means not winning Defensive Player of the Year could cost him $23 million over the next five seasons.
Yet Mobley has proven that he takes slights to heart, and if Draymond Green campaigns his way to the award, or Dyson Daniels convinces voters steals outweigh everything else, then Mobley will have reason to feel slighted. He deserves the award. And he will almost certainly use that as fuel -- to pummel the opponents he is facing in the playoffs now, and to come back next season even better to secure the award.
One way or the other, Mobley is gaining something on Thursday night. Everyone in Cleveland hopes it's a shiny piece of hardware as affirmation for a tremendous season. If not, however, it will only fuel the fire of Mobley rise.