This Matchup Could Determine Winner Of Cavs-Magic Series

Evan Mobley's matchup with the Paolo Banchero will be one to watch as the Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Orlando Magic in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

The Orlando Magic may be a young team who are playing in their first playoffs as a group, but their roster sure is full of some talented players. One of those is the 2023 Rookie of the Year winner Paolo Banchero. 

Banchero will be the primary focus for the Cleveland Cavaliers on offense in this series and the player who likely gets the matchup is Evan Mobley.

Mobley is more than capable of taking on Bancero. The Cavs powerforward has proven on multiple occasions he’s one of the best defenders in the league and was even on the NBA’s All-Defenseive team last season.

“He’s a great player,” said Mobley, “Shoots  a lot of midrange and also likes going right to get down hill. So, just trying to use my length and size to have him keep shooting the midrange. But contest him pretty heavily and live with those shots and keep him off the paint as best as we can.”

Feb 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) dribbles beside Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) in the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Banchero averaged 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists while shooting 45.5% from the floor and 33.9% from behind the arc in the regular season. On the other side, Mobley finished the season with a defensive rating of 108.5 and held his opponents.

Mobley has guarded Banchero for almost nine minutes this season and has limited to him just seven points while shooting 23.1% from the floor. It’s a small sample size, but a favorable one for the Cavs. 

He’s clearly Orlando’s go-to option. There’s still more talent on the roster, but Cleveland’s ability to shut down Banchero could be the difference maker in this series, and that starts with Mobley.