Second Cavs Starter Sidelined, Could Miss Up To Two Months
The hits keep coming for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the injury department.
After it was learned that Darius Garland will miss several weeks with a fractured jaw sustained in Boston on Thursday night, the wine-and-gold had another gut punch.
Evan Mobley, who missed all four games of Cleveland's road trip, is set to undergo arthroscopic surgery on this left knee to remove a loose body. Per a team press release, the 22-year-old power forward will miss anywhere between six-to-eight weeks of action.
Mobley's absence already saw the Cavs struggle on the defensive end of the floor with timing and switches. They're also missing his rebounding presence and ability to push the ball up the floor to get the team momentum in transition.
The seven-foot big man is currently averaging 16.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 blocks in just under 34 minutes per game.
Nov 21, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) in action against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center.
Who's going to step up in Mobley's absence? Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has already pointed out that Jarrett Allen needs more touches inside. Dean Wade has drawn spot starts in each of the games that Mobley has missed. Obviously, Tristan Thompson will be leaned on as a backup 5 too.
Cleveland will likely play Max Strus up a position in certain sets, and maybe even some of the others will shift up too.
But more or less, this is a devastating blow to a squad that has already battled inconsistencies on the court. Now, away from the floor, the organization will have an uphill climb to stay in the hunt for the postseason in the Eastern Conference.
