Evan Mobley has been a revelation for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. The fourth-year big man has taken a massive leap forward as an offensive player, made his first All-Star appearance and key a first-place season for the Cavaliers. It would be a shock not to see him on an All-NBA Team after the season.
For many, this leap was a complete shock. Mobley was a really good defensive player from day one, but his offensive game has been inconsistent and capped by a low ceiling. The Cavs needed him to play power forward, but his lack of shooting meant things got really crowded, really quickly. When he signed a maximum rookie extension last summer, the response from many was that Cleveland should have negotiated harder because Mobley wasn't worth it.
Mobley has proven them all wrong, averaging 18.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 3.2 assists per game, becoming a playmaking hub and dominant finisher in the paint. What's more, he has also added 3.2 3-point attempts per game at 37.3 percent, not merely surviving but thriving at power forward and center alike. When you add in that he is a Top-5 defender in the league you get a truly special player.
Was this step forward truly a surprise? Were there any signs that it was coming?
According to Evan Mobley himself, we should have known a breakout was on the horizon.
Evan Mobley showed us he was making the leap
In a recent episode of The Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN's Brian Windhorst (a Cleveland native) asked Mobley about a specific game - a game that Mobley agreed was a sign the league should have noticed that he was turning into a star.
It was the final game of the season for the Cavaliers last year, a 113-98 loss to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell were both out due to injury, and Darius Garland was finishing off a down season after suffering bizarre injuries during the year. Someone needed to step up.
Evan Mobley put the team on his back and absolutely went off against the Celtics -- a Celtics team, remember, that was cruising through the playoffs en route to the title. A Celtics team that would lose just three games all postseason. The Cavs took Game 2, but ran out of gas as their team succumbed to injuries.
Yet Mobley was brilliant all series long, and capped it off with an all-time performance, even if it was in a losing effort. Mobley dominated the Celtics' frontcourt, putting up 33 points on 15-for-24 shooting. He had seven rebounds, four assists, a steal and two blocks. The other four starters? They combined for just 31 points altogether, which is why his big game ultimately didn't mean enough.
Mobley averaged 21.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in the series, a breakout sequence of games against an elite team that went largely unnoticed by national media. Yet it was a clear sign of things to come, a blinking neon arrow pointing at the breakout screaming down the tracks.
There was work to be done this summer, especially as a 3-point shooter, but Mobley gave a teaser trailer of his pending leap. He is now easily a Top-15 player in the league and a dominant two-way force, and the biggest reason the Cavaliers are now heading into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed.
What will he do in the playoffs this time around?