Cavaliers Breakout Star Makes NBA History Following Recent Award

Evan Mobley's breakout year keeps getting better and better for himself and the ceiling of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

There's been so much attention on his growth on the offensive side of the ball that it's easy to forget that Mobley is, and always has been, an elite defender.

The Cavaliers' breakout star earned some major recognition for his defense as he was named the Defensive Player of the Month for February.

The award was first introduced in January of 2025, and Mobley won that as well. This makes the Cavs forward is the first player in NBA history to be Defensive Player of the Month twice.

That’s 2x Defensive Player of the Month to you (and DPOTY loading… 👀). #LetEmKnow

FULL RELEASE: https://t.co/EsRsGzPD7P pic.twitter.com/BhMNJZKzlX
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 4, 2025

Now, let's take a look at the stats that helped Mobley earn this honor.

The Cavaliers forward was by far and away the best defender on the floor during the last few weeks.

Mobley had the best defensive rating (108.0) in the Eastern Conference and was a key piece in the Cavaliers recording an opponent field goal percentage (.429), opponent three-point percentage (.323), and opponent points per game (108.2).

All of these stats were top four in the East.

Most importantly, Mobley's defense led to winning basketball. The Cavaliers finished February with an NBA-best record of 10-1.

With Victor Wembanyama out the remainder of the season, Mobley is making a substantial case to be the Defensive Player of the Year.

Plus, adding multiple Defensive Player of the Month awards to his resume will only make that case stronger.

With Mobley's elite defense and growing offense repertoire, the Cavaliers forward continues to show why he could be one of the best players in the entire NBA in the coming years.

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