Evan Mobley Making A Case For Defensive Player Of The Year
Any sports fan probably heard the saying, "defense wins championships."
The Cavs aren't quite at the level of being a true contender but they do have the defense to get them there. This is in large part because of the impact that Evan Mobley has when he's on the floor.
Mobley is quietly making a case to be this season's defensive player of the year. He's among one the league leaders in defensive metrics and even when watching the Cavs his presence is clearly felt on the floor.
Let's start with the team aspect first. It's pretty rare that a player who wins the DPOY is on a team with a bad defense. They typically go hand-in-hand. Cleveland has had one of the best defenses in the NBA since the start of the season.
This remains true even as the month of February kicks off, even though they've begun to show their holes over the last few weeks.
The Cavs are ranked as the second-best defensive rating with 110.3. Their defense also allowed the fewest point per game in the league with Cleveland's opponents averaging 106.8 points a night.
Now onto how Mobley has played into all of this. He's arguably been the most important piece to the Cavs' dominant defense.
He's protecting the paint and averaging 1.4 blocks a night while also helping limit the opponent's offensive from behind the arc. Mobley is tied for first in the league with 3.8 contested threes per game.
Mobley has played a big role for the Cavs; the advanced numbers show this. He's leading the league in defensive win shares with three. Mobley also ranks sixth highest in the NBA in defensive rating with 108.3.
Evan Mobley has shown himself to be a very humble person during his first season and a half in the NBA so there's a chance that he isn't even considering the prospect of being the DPOY.
But it's certainly a possibility, even if he's not thinking of it.
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