Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley has started to tap into his potential in the 2024-25 NBA season. Mobley has left a strong impression with how he’s played this year. The power forward has earned his first All-Star nod of his career, averaging 18.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Additionally, he’s considered one of the favorites to win the Defensive Player of the Year after San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the rest of the season due to blood clots.
With the way Mobley played this year, he’s helped the Cavs capture the top seed in the Eastern Conference, with a 53-10 record. Over the past 10 games he’s played, the 6-foot-11 big man has slightly increased his production. He’s averaged 19.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.0 blocks during that span.
Because of how he’s played recently, former NBA player Kendrick Perkins spoke highly of the forward, calling him the second-best power forward in the league behind Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“One could make the argument that right behind Giannis, Mobley might just be the 2nd best PF in the game for what he could bring on both ends of the floor,” Perkins said. “And he’s up for winning Defensive Player of the Year. His versatility, being able to switch one through five, being able to go to post ups and utilize the mismatches.
Perkins says you could argue that Evan Mobley is the 2nd-best PF in the NBA
"One could make the argument that right behind Giannis, Mobley might just be the 2nd best PF in the game for what he could bring on both ends of the floor"
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 9, 2025
According to Perk, he believes Mobley could play a key role for the Cavs in their quest to contend for the 2025 title.
“When they put a smaller guy on him, Mobley rolled to the basket and he punished him. Now he’s shooting a three. Over these last few games, he’s been averaging 20 shooting over 58%, he is the x-factor. And if they’re gonna beat the Boston Celtics and make it to the NBA Finals, it’s gonna be on the back of Evan Mobley.”
Cleveland Cavaliers’ backup guard promotes Mobley for the DPOY award
With their steady play this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have taken the NBA by surprise. Mobley’s performance has been a major factor in the team’s success during the regular season. Even though he has received accolades from critics, his colleagues still have faith in his abilities. Ty Jerome, the backup guard for the Cavaliers, praised the big man’s influence in an interview with Ryen Russillo.
He talked about how the 6-foot-11 forward is deserving of the DPOY award.
“I would say, I don’t know if this is an agenda that we can maybe push on here, like, how is he not the front runner for Most Improved Player? Can he get that and Defensive Player the Year?,” Jerome said.
Jerome also said the Cleveland Cavaliers star has a case to win the Most Improved Player award.
“I don’t see how he’s not Most Improved. Like last year, he wasn’t doing any of this besides playing defense. His three ball wasn’t really reliable. This is not not gonna happen last year.”
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
