It did not feel like it, but Evan Mobley was unable to suit up for the Cleveland Cavaliers during Wednesday’s blowout win over the Houston Rockets. The Cavs absolutely destroyed the Rockets, 124-89, that it didn’t seem as though they missed the services of their highly-touted rookie.
Mobley missed his fifth game of the campaign on Wednesday due to a hip injury, and it sounds like he could miss more time. According to Cavs team insider Chris Fedor of cleveland.com, Mobley is still experiencing considerable pain in his injured hip:
The Cavs faced off against the Heat on December 1st, so if this is indeed the specific game the above report is referring to, then Mobley has been playing through the pain for more than two weeks now. The fact that the “pain hasn’t gone away” does not bode well for Mobley and his availability in the short term.
Then again, this is a 20-year-old rookie we’re talking about here, and for all we know, Mobley could be back in action for Cleveland when they face off against the defending champions Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. The Cavs’ upcoming three-game road spell starts in Milwaukee and based on what we know so far, it sounds like Mobley will be joining the team for that stint.