Evan Mobley faces new challenge in quest to repeat as Defensive Player of the Year

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley is facing an unexpected setback in his quest to run it back as Defensive Player of the Year.

Dec 3, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) defends a shot by Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe (17) in the fourth quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers are having an odd feeling season so far. A 15-11 record is nothing to scoff at, but something is...off.

The same goes for Evan Mobley, even with his 19-point, 9-rebound average this year. He is not playing bad, but is also not reaching the heights some dreamed he would reach by now.

Mobley is fresh off a season in which he was an All-Star, All-NBA Second Team, and NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Through 25 games this season he has been unable to replicate last season's form.

Perhaps there is more to the story. Shams Charania pointed at that possibility with a tweet that shocked plenty of fans.

Cavaliers star Evan Mobley is expected to miss 2 to 4 weeks with a left calf strain.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 13, 2025

A "calf strain" has taken on a new meaning full of doom and gloom in today's NBA. This injury has become the precursor to the dreaded Achilles injury. That likely explains shutting Mobley down for potentially up to a month.

This injury surely takes him out of the Defensive Player of the Year race, even though he already faced an uphill battle against both Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama. It appears the latter of those two may win the award every year if he qualifies.

Regardless, that "qualifying" aspect is what Mobley will be pushing up against in his absence. The NBA requires players to play at least 65 games to qualify for major end-of-season awards, including DPOY. This has seen star players take less time off, but perhaps it can also be linked to a surge in injuries. That is up to the league and players to research and sort out.

Mobley has played in 25 games this season and would have to miss 16 more to hit a maximum of 65 on the year. At this stage, the award race may be the least of his and the team's concern. The same goes for fans who cannot imagine a scenario where Mobley suffers an even worse injury.

The ultimate "leap" in his career will have to happen in the postseason. The Cavaliers have failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals since LeBron was last in town, and regular-season struggles will be forgotten if Mobley and his counterparts make a deep postseason run. The alternative is this core being broken up.

For now, the focus is on getting Mobley healthy. Hardware means nothing if the end result is a dissapointing early exit. Perhaps the time off can also allow Mobley to reset and focus on what matters most.