The Cleveland Cavaliers: The rise of Evan Mobley.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are the only unbeaten team in the NBA and they are riding the wave of a young man who is on top form: in Evan Mobley. A lot of criticism was placed on the Cavaliers and Mobley for potentially not being able to cohere and become a championship team, however, this season they have been excellent. Mobley has begun to use his physical tools to drive into the paint which is something he hasn’t done before, to the calibre he is this season. Mitchell and Garland are playing a lot better together and have been better defensively than they have ever before. Atkinson seems to have done something with this team that hasn’t been done before and their critics seem to be eating their words through this small sample size.

After his first season, Mobley began to take steps forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers: he was showing potential on the offensive and defensive end. But, under JB Bickerstaff he was not seen as the main or second option on the team, but, Kenny Atkinson has begun to unlock his development and he is taking an All-NBA jump. He is no longer just an option but one of the main men and Kenny Atkinson described him as a “wing/big” as he is “handling the ball” more than ever before and has the “characteristics of a wing.” Mobley is proving what all his fans have known that he can and would deliver on the offensive end; if given the chance. Atkinson is giving this to him and he is becoming a force to be reckoned with and if this season is any sign of things to come he will be one of the biggest threats in the front court out east. The team have all begun to work together in a fluid system that sees everyone get the ball and proves that they can gel as a high-calibre team when they are coached well and they are allowed to all flourish as individuals.

This can be seen in the advanced stats, with Garland accepting a lesser role and shooting more; with less touches per game and more 3 point attempts. Darius Garland has had to adapt to Donovan Mitchell and is now having to adapt to Evan Mobley. Since the 2021-22 season his touches have been down by 10 per game. But, in the past season and this season, not only did his touches drop but Evan Mobley’s rose. 61.1 for Garland this year 57.5 for EMobe. Last year the gap was much bigger with 75.3 for Garland whereas Mobley only had 59.4 touches. As well as this Garland is shooting 7.3 three pointers per game this season whereas last season shot 6.2. This floor spacing allows for Evan Mobley to have the paint to attack as there aren’t bodies in the paint to account for Garland or Mitchell. Atkinson is giving Mobley the ball and it’s unlocking the offensive game we haven’t seen yet. Mobley has always been capable of using his athletic tools to be effective on the defensive end of the ball, however, Atkinson seems capable of doing something Bickerstaff couldn’t with Mobley making better use of the potential we’ve seen him have, which before has led to critics saying after multiple early playoff exits that this backcourt and front court couldn’t be coherent. Mobley hadn’t been able to unlock his offensive game because Garland and Mitchell got so much of the ball.

But, they have begun to play with pace that allows Garland to shoot more, Mitchell to be the lead guard as well as Mobley to make plays, use his strengths to allow his offense to blossom and for them to become the best team in the Eastern Conference record wise.

However, it’s not only Mobley that has allowed for an excellent run at the start of the season. Donovan Mitchell has also been amazing, but, his shots have dropped by over 2 shots since his first season in Cleveland and although this team has a lot of talents that could be considered to be a number 1 option (or have the potential to be) but Mitchell being the amazing scorer he is on less shots will not only allow for the team to perform in the standings but also for him to have help from his teammates that could reduce injury problems for the whole team. This is because Mitchell drives into the paint a lot and for a smaller player it could be easy to get injured, but, with Mobley becoming a dominant force in the paint as well as a better ball handler it allows Garland and Mitchell to get up shots but from three or with less usage before their shot; therefore less injury chances. Last season (despite struggles with injuries) Mitchell was amazing but he didn’t play many games with Garland but this season we have seen them gel well. With Garland having less usage than Mitchell and accepting that he isn’t the number 1 player of the team and that if they are able to compliment each other they could be an astonishing success. Atkinson’s fluid and team style of basketball has meant that the top ball handlers in Mobley, Garland and Mitchell have shared the ball: they are all within 5 touches of each other on average per game, something that hasn’t happened before, and given their string of form it has produced a team that are flourishing off each other’s abilities.

If Cleveland stay healthy and continue to complement each other and ride the offensive jump of Evan Mobley they could become a real contender for the Eastern Conference Championship. But, they will have competition but if they can continue to develop it may not be long until we see the Cavaliers return to a championship.