Brian Windhorst discloses Cavs’ hidden power move for Evan Mobley during close games

Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley has spent much of his NBA career so far playing the power forward position, but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said that the Cavaliers hope they can play him at the center spot down the stretch of close games.

“Well this is — I’ve said this before, this is what I think is under the wraps, which is that they’re gonna wanna be able to go to Mobley at center down the stretch of tight games,” Windhorst said of the Cavaliers.

Mobley looked like a new-and-improved player in the Cavaliers’ season opener against the Toronto Raptors on Oct. 23. He totaled 25 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and three blocks in Cleveland’s wire-to-wire victory.

Jarrett Allen is the Cavaliers’ starting center, and he has provided consistent interior scoring, rebounding and rim protection during his tenure with the team. He even finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots versus Toronto.

However, because Mobley has a more wide-ranging offensive skill set, it’s easy to see the appeal of having him close games at the center spot in lieu of Allen. For one, Mobley has proven — albeit on a low volume — that he can shoot it accurately from 3-point range. He can also handle the ball and create his own scoring opportunities, as 25.6 percent of his made baskets in the 2023-24 regular season were unassisted.

Additionally, the Cavaliers seemingly wouldn’t lose much firepower — if at all — on the defensive end if they were to have Mobley play at center instead of Allen late in close games. Mobley has a penchant for blocking shots just like Allen does, and the former was in consideration for the Defensive Player of the Year award not too long ago.

Mobley received the third-most votes for the award in the 2022-23 season. Memphis Grizzlies star big man Jaren Jackson Jr. ended up taking home the hardware.

Cavaliers fans won’t have to wait much longer before Mobley will take the court again. Cleveland will take on the Detroit Pistons at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday night.

The Pistons are still seeking their first win of the campaign after they fell to point guard Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.