Cleveland Cavs veteran center Tristan Thompson reacted to Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green becoming the new odds-on favorite to win this year’s Defensive Player of the Year award over Cavs All-Star Evan Mobley. In the latest poll, Green has surpassed Mobley for this year’s DPOY. Green (-135) went from having the second-best odds to first overnight, leading Mobley (+105) this week, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
Thompson campaigned for Mobley to win DPOY, per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor.
“Evan was the favorite, but then we lost four games in a row, and you guys changed it up,” Thompson said. “Draymond is the favorite now, right? Draymond is a Hall of Famer, and he is the anchor for their defense as well. But he has won Defensive Player of the Year. It’s Evan’s turn. I’ve heard rumblings about maybe (Thunder wing) Lu Dort. Yeah, we’re going for Evan in here. We are the No. 1 team in the East.
“Defensively, we are up there in the top 10 and no one can consistently score on him, so that’s who my vote is for,” Thompson concluded.
The Cavs snapped their four-game losing streak with a 120-91 win against the Utah Jazz. Then, on Tuesday, they defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 122-111. While some have questioned the Cavs being a legitimate title contender this year, most can’t wait, including Draymond Green, to see how it all unfolds.
Evan Mobley on the biggest ‘difference’ that makes Cavs contenders
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Cavs All-Star Evan Mobley believes his team is a title contender despite some concern over their experience making deep playoff runs. Mobley knows they are ready to build on last year’s second-round exit against the champion Celtics, and believes the 2024-25 team is a different group compared to the teams in recent history. And they could head to the NBA Finals for the first time since Tristan Thompson and the Cavs’ last trip.
For Mobley, the difference is in the Cavs’ approach, per Basketball Insiders’ D.J. Siddiqi.
” I feel the difference is just our chemistry,” Mobley tells D.J. Siddiqi of Basketball Insiders in an exclusive interview. “Everyone is clicking on the same page and clicking at the same time. Everyone knows exactly where we’re going to be on the court, and we’ve been having a great ball movement, which has helped us a lot.”
Bookended by a 15-0 start to the regular season and a recent 16-game win streak, the Cavs have led from atop the Eastern Conference standings throughout 2024-25. Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Mobley were all named All-Stars. The Cavs hold a 5.0-game lead over the Celtics, who are in second place.
