Jaemooms
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“Evan is a perfectionist, and he spends all of his time that you guys don’t see working on his craft,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said two months ago. “Evan knows how good he wants to be. I think he still believes. We all do. There’s a version of Evan that is going to dominate this league. We’ve seen it I think consistently in defensive moments, but there’s an offensive version of that as well and I think it’s coming.”
You see the growth every game. He gets better and better,” Darius Garland said. “He’s really starting to find himself as a basketball player in this league. Just seeing a glimpse of it. He shows a glimpse of it every night. He’s still a 21-year-old kid getting used to the physicality of the game. He’s going to be really, really good. He’s going to be an All-Star in this league for sure.”
He’s fallen in love with the weight room, going in there every day since the beginning of January. Before practice. After practice. Game days. Off days.
“I don’t think he’s taken a day off, to the point where we probably need to tell him to get out of the weight room,” Donovan Mitchell said. “No one told him to do that. No one said this is what you should do. He took it upon himself. He did that on his own. That speaks to his willingness to want to get better and you look at the way he’s played since the beginning of 2023, whatever it is, up until now, his numbers are phenomenal on both ends of the floor. And not to say that he was playing poorly, but he just took it to another level on both ends of the floor. Now you’re seeing the credit he deserves. He’s third in Defensive Player of the Year. He should be first, to be completely honest with you. I feel like he’s taken the step that everyone’s been talking about all year. He’s taken that step for sure.”
Added strength has not only built muscle but confidence.
Over the last 34 games, Mobley is averaging 18.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 blocks while shooting 54.9% from the field, including 59.6% on 2-pointers.
With him on the court during this stretch of dominance, the Cavs have a net rating -- the combination of offensive and defensive rating -- of 9.8. Without him, that mark craters to minus-1.2.
“I feel like he’s one who gets better every single game,” teammate Caris LeVert said. “When you’re that young, every little bit of experience helps. He’s growing each and every game, especially when he has to play the five some games and then going back to his natural position at the four, I think he’s just soaking up so much knowledge in it. I feel like he has gotten a lot better since the beginning of the season, let alone last year.”
“He’s elite in the pocket and the capability of making all the plays from there,” Bickerstaff said. “He can pass it and obviously, he can finish it, but there’s not a lot that he can’t do when he catches the ball in that space. Puts a ton of pressure on defenses.”
Because of the Cavs’ success and Mobley’s continued evolution, he is starting to receive more national attention for Defensive Player of the Year.
In NBA.com’s recent ranking, Mobley was third, behind just Milwaukee tower Brook Lopez and Memphis defensive anchor Jaren Jackson Jr., who missed some time earlier this season following knee surgery.
Cleveland, Milwaukee and Memphis have been battling for the top defensive spot. Despite two smaller guards, the Cavs are currently No. 1. Allen has played part in that ranking. So has Mobley.
He ranks first in Defensive Win Shares and Defensive Real Plus-Minus, fifth in Defensive Rating and 19th in Defensive Box Plus-Minus. He is also eighth in contested 2s and first in contested 3s. In all, Mobley has contested the third-most shot attempts. That outside-inside defensive versatility -- an ability to guard every position -- helps set him apart.
“Evan always feels he’s capable of more,” Bickerstaff said. “It never just starts at the top and then you just stay there. I think he’s done a phenomenal job. His impact on winning is what’s the most important thing and what’s so unique and special. There’s a bunch of guys in this league who individual numbers get better, but their teams never get any better. How do you impact winning? He does that at a high level.”
#3rdInDefensivePlayerOfTheYear
#ShouldBeFirst
#OnlyHisSecondSeason
