Fact or Fiction: Under the rise of Evan Mobley, the Cavaliers are contenders again post-LeBron

Evan Mobley is beginning to unfurl the wide ranges of his offensive skill set. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Each week during the 2023-24 NBA season, we will take a deeper dive into some of the league’s biggest storylines in an attempt to determine whether trends are based more in fact or fiction moving forward.

[Last week: Joel Embiid and the 76ers are in for a painfully long season]

Fact or Fiction: Under the rise of Evan Mobley, the Cavaliers are contenders again

We have heard the tale of LeBron James’ “supercomputer” brain. He knows what you are going to do before you do it, or so the story goes. Except, it seems, when you are Evan Mobley, boasting a fresh arsenal of moves.

Early in the final quarter of Wednesday’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell corralled a rebound, promptly finding Mobley in transition. James drew the defensive assignment, casually backpedaling, as if he did not anticipate his opponent’s next move. Sure enough, as Mobley has done repeatedly to start the season, he steamrolled the rim, scoring early in the shot clock.

It was the epitome of everything newly installed head coach Kenny Atkinson has preached to begin his tenure — everything the Cavs have done to become the Eastern Conference’s only remaining unbeaten.

Play with pace and attack the rim, especially if you are Mobley, a 23-year-old Defensive Player of the Year finalist who is only now, in his fourth season, beginning to unfurl the wide ranges of his offensive skill set.

Cleveland’s 101.7 possessions per game reflect the eighth-fastest pace in the NBA, and its 59.6 drives per game are the third-most in the league. The Cavs ranked 24th and 17th in those respective categories last season. Their number of field goals attempted in the first third of a shot clock has similarly skyrocketed.

Mobley has been the biggest benefactor. The faster pace is providing more opportunities for everyone, and Mobley is using a quarter of his team’s possessions when he is on the floor, up from 20% last season. His drives have doubled to nine per game, and he is creating more of his own offense than ever…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/fact-or-fiction-under-the-rise-of-evan-mobley-the-cavaliers-are-contenders-again-post-lebron-175256670.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-11-01 17:52:00

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