The Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to have another good season with the additions they’ve made, but their returning player will be important to their success. Evan Mobley is one player who has been solid for the Cavs throughout his career, but he seems to be overlooked by some. It makes sense when you’re playing with talent such as Donovan Mitchell or James Harden, but he still does good work on both sides of the ball.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson believes that this could be a different year for Mobley this season, especially with how he went under the radar last year.
“Cavs Kenny Atkinson believes Evan Mobley is coming into this season with a ‘chip on his shoulder’ given the lack of accolades this past season and some of the noise that surrounded him,” Chris Fedor of clevelanddotcom wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Mobley had one of his better years last season, averaging 18.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He was consistent through the playoffs as well, but they may have needed a little more from him if they wanted to get past the Eastern Conference Finals.
There’s no doubt that the Cavs believe in Mobley, and with the addition of Peyton Watson, they believe they have the pieces they need to take things to another level.
“They had the option to trade Evan Mobley — they could have offered him for Jaylen Brown, they could have offered him for Giannis, and I think there’s a decent chance that they could have gotten either of them,” Windhorst said. “They didn’t. Their belief in Evan Mobley is enormous. And they invested hugely in Peyton Watson. They are betting that Peyton Watson will be their missing link in their starting lineup; that two-way wing that will elevate them.”