The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly are thrilled about the progress that former first-round pick Evan Mobley has made under new head coach Kenny Atkinson this season.
“Keeping [Donovan] Mitchell healthy is paramount, but when coach Kenny Atkinson was hired to replace J.B. Bickerstaff after last season’s second-round exit, another key goal was to get more out of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, the team’s two young stars who have been inked to max contract extensions,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps wrote. “Their growth has been evident this season.
“Garland is posting career highs in field goal percentage (53.4) and 3-point percentage (44.9). Rival scouts noted to ESPN his performance down the stretch last week against the Milwaukee Bucks, when Garland repeatedly attacked reserve guard AJ Green with pick-and-rolls in the closing minutes of a comeback victory.
“But Cleveland might be most excited about Mobley’s progress, which goes beyond a simple scoring uptick. Several people within the team pointed to Mobley’s willingness to grab rebounds and bring the ball up himself — allowing the team’s shooters to get open looks.”
Through 13 games this season (Mobley missed the Cavs’ recent win over the Chicago Bulls with an illness), Mobley is averaging 17.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steal per game while shooting 55.8 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3.
He’s taking a career-high 12.5 shots per game, and it’s led to the best scoring season (in terms of points per game) of his young NBA career.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Mobley averaged 15.0 points and 8.3 rebounds in his rookie season, but he didn’t develop much as an offensive player over the next two seasons, averaging 16.2 points per game in the 2022-23 campaign and 15.7 points per game in the 2023-24 season.
The addition of Mitchell may have hurt Mobley’s development a bit, as the big man didn’t see his shots increase at all – in fact they decreased last season – with a high-volume shooter in Mitchell on the roster.
However, it’s clear that Atkinson and the Cavs are making a point to get Mobley more involved in the offense.
Cleveland also should be encouraged by his 3-point shooting, as Mobley is attempting a career-high 1.6 shots per game from deep and is still shooting 33.3 percent. He shot 37.3 percent from 3 on just 1.2 attempts per game last season.
The Cavs are 14-0 and have the best record in the NBA so far this season. After making the second round of the playoffs in the 2023-24 campaign, Cleveland could really make a push for a deep playoff run this season if Mobley continues to improve.
Mobley and the Cavs will be back in action on Sunday, Nov. 17 against the Charlotte Hornets. Hopefully, Mobley will be able to return to action after missing Friday’s win over Chicago.
