Two Cavaliers Predicted To Be Among Top Bigs In NBA Next Season
One of the calling cards of the Cleveland Cavaliers is their frontcourt comprised of two natural centers. It goes against the smallball style of play that the rest of the NBA has adopted over the last few seasons, but the Cavs are committed to making this work.
Therefore, it's not shocking to see two of their starting bigs predicted to be among basketball's best next season.
Bleacher Report is getting ready for the beginning of the regular season by putting together different player rankings. They've already done their top 100 players for next season and have now moved on to projecting the best big men.
Unsurprisingly, a pair of Cavs showed up on their list and make sure to check the full article here:
Jarrett Allen
The first Cavalier who cracked the list is Cleveland's starting center Jarrett Allen who came in at 19. This is what B/R said about the 25-year-old:
Allen has established himself as a rock-solid starting center, one who knows his role and executes it at a high level with his rim protection, rebounding and lob-finishing ability.
Still just 25, Allen has some room to grow, especially on the offensive end where he has yet to expand his shooting range. For now, he's an excellent defender who held opponents to a lower percentage at the rim than players like Anthony Davis, Rudy Gobert and Myles Turner.
This is a fair assessment of Allen as he enters his seventh season in the NBA. There were a number. There were a number of trade rumors during the offseason regarding Allen's future with the Cavs, but as of now, he'll be a part of Cleveland's future.
Evan Mobley
The next Cavs big to appear on the list is Evan Mobley who just barely missed out on the top 10 and came in at 11. Here is B/R's justification for ranking him where they did:
Mobley finished third overall in Defensive Player of the Year voting, earning his first of what should be a room full of All-Defensive first-team trophies. While he can still struggle one-on-one against bigger, stronger opponents near the rim, Mobley is perhaps the best perimeter defender of any power forward or center in the NBA.
The offense may never catch up to the defense for Mobley, but if it does, the 22-year-old should become a regular All-Star. After a transition period of learning how to play with Donovan Mitchell, Mobley averaged 18.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 blocks and shot 55.4 percent over his final 34 games.
Adding a reliable three-pointer to his game is the next step, especially if he and Jarrett Allen want to maximize their frontcourt pairing.
Feb 26, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) shoots a three-point basket in the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Again, this is a very calculated grading of Mobley's impact. We know that he has the potential to be one of the league's best defenders, but he needs to make some strides on offense to be considered one of basketball's top bigs.
