To say that Donovan Mitchell is a big fan of Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Evan Mobley would be an understatement. So much so, that Spida has no doubt in his mind that the 21-year-old should be the frontrunner for this season’s Defensive Player of the Year award — and Mitchell actually has quite a compelling reason as to why he believes this to be true.
Mitchell recently had nothing but high praise for Mobley. The Cavs superstar campaigned for the latter’s DPOY bid by looking back at his history with former Utah Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert:
“He should be the Defensive Player of the Year,” Mitchell said, via Cavs beat reporter Danny Cunningham of ESPN Cleveland. “I’ve played with a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, so I know what it looks like and I’m seeing it with him, for sure.”
Well, it’s hard to argue with that statement. Mitchell was a first-hand witness during those three years that Rudy Gobert bagged the DPOY title. If Mitchell says that he sees shades of Gobert in Evan Mobley, then you can’t really dispute his personal opinion here.
Then again, the pundits probably won’t agree with Donovan Mitchell’s bold claim here. At this point, Mobley isn’t exactly a top candidate for this season’s Defensive Player of the Year honor. Memphis Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. is the heavy favorite to come away with the title, with the likes of Brook Lopez and Bam Adebayo considered his closest challengers.
Mobley will probably be in serious contention for the DPOY trophy sometime in the future, but that’s not going to be this year.
