Imagine if I told you this months ago: approaching Christmas, the Cleveland Cavaliers will have the best record in the NBA. Well, that statement has turned out to be true, as the Cavs are currently 23-4.
This comes after an offseason with no major changes to the roster and the only switch being made was at head coach, as the Cavs fired J.B. Bickerstaff and hired Kenny Atkinson.
Atkinson’s job was simple: maximize the team’s core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley. There was a lot of offseason chatter about how the team should break up that core four, but Atkinson has quieted all of that noise. His changes have led to the Cavs having the best offensive rating in the NBA at 120.6.
However, Atkinson’s second job was to maximize the potential of Mobley and empower him offensively. That has led to fruitful results this season and has Mobley in position to earn Most Improved Player honors.
Cleveland Cavaliers star Evan Mobley has finally become an elite two-way force.
On the season, Mobley is averaging a career-high in points (18.4) and three-point percentage (41.1 percent), while shooting 56 percent from the field. He is shooting 70 percent at the rim. He is also averaging almost two blocks per game, ranking just outside the top ten in that category. He has 12 games of two or more blocks, and opponents are shooting 42 percent against him this season as well.
Mobley’s touches per game have also increased, as he is second on the Cavs in touches per game, and he has shown an improved handle as well, often taking rebounds and either going coast to coast for a basket or initiating offense.
In addition to that, he also has 11 double-doubles and is on pace to set a career-high in that category. He also has eleven games of 20 or more points. He had 14 such games all of last season and 18 the season before that. He also set a career-high in points this season with a 41-point outburst against the Charlotte Hornets a couple of weeks back.
Mobley has made rapid offensive improvements in his fourth season, and this is what the Cavs have been wanting to see from him. He has become an elite two-way force this season and has put himself in a position to be on an All-Defensive team and All-Star team, and he has a case for Most Improved Player as well.