The Cleveland Cavaliers selected big man Evan Mobley with the No. 3 draft pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and the trajectory of the franchise has been different since.
Since the very early days of his NBA career, Mobley has shown that he is a special talent and has superstar potential. He’s a big reason why the Cavs have more than 40 wins in a season for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.
An NBA executive recently stated that Mobley has a leg up on other rookies in a certain category.
“No other rookie impacts winning as much as Evan Mobley has in Cleveland, and he’s done it on both ends of the floor,” the executive told HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. “If you consider where the Cavaliers were a year ago compared to this season, you see why he is touted to be the best player in this draft class and why the Cavaliers have made such a huge leap this season. At seven-feet tall, he has all the tools to become a generational talent. Combine his statistical season and Cleveland’s run into the postseason, there is no doubt he should be named NBA Rookie of the Year.”
So far this season, Mobley has averaged 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. He’s been incredibly impactful on both sides of the court and seems to have everything necessary to become one of the best big men in the NBA.
As Mobley and the Cavs near the end of the 2021-22 regular season, they will look to turn things around. They’ve lost three straight games and currently sit at the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference.
They’ll surely do everything they can to avoid having to participate in the league’s play-in tournament. However, even if that is where they eventually end up, this season will undoubtedly be considered a massive success.
