Answering Your Cavs Questions: Oct. 30, 2023

Welcome to Cavs Questions! In this daily mailbag, Spencer Davies will respond to fans’ curiosities surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers throughout the duration of the 2023-24 season. In order to submit yours, simply send your questions on X to @SpinDavies or via email at spindavies22@gmail.com.

Here come the New York Knicks! On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Cavaliers will have their first crack at revenge against the team that ousted them in last year's playoffs. They've got a home-and-home mini-series on tap that will draw a lot of eyes. Hopefully, Cleveland can get healthy and we can get a great rematch.

Let's get to the lone question from Sunday.

Only two little guards have ever led the way and won NBA titles: Stephen Curry and Isiah Thomas. Do you think Donovan Mitchell’s ball dominance has hindered Evan Mobley’s development? - @gemdata

Firstly, thank you for the originality of the question. It’s fun to have to think a little longer instead of answering something straightforward. Let me address part one of this question first before getting to the second part.

Donovan Mitchell may not be the tallest guy in the room, but he sure as hell is not small with how he plays. He is built like a running back. That guy is an ox as far as his upper body strength is concerned. When Mitchell burrows his way into the teeth of the defense, it looks like he’s going to get blocked, but he creates separation by literally moving bodies.

A perfect example was the home opener when Chet Holmgren was altering and swatting everything in sight. In the second half, Mitchell had enough of it and used his shoulders to bump him out of the lane and finish at the cup — or at least draw a foul. We’ve also seen him defending much bigger opponents on the block, oftentimes making offenses reset because he fronted and pushed his matchup further away on the block. Mitchell’s physical power is an aspect of his game that I don’t believe is brought up enough.

Now, let’s get to the Evan Mobley development question. “Hindered” may not be the right word for it. Slowed? Delayed? Elongated? Sure. The fact of the matter is that the Cavs had a lot of mouths to feed last year, and with this version of the team, there’s even more. Cleveland wants to up Mobley’s usage without force-feeding him. J.B. Bickerstaff notes in almost every practice that the 22-year-old big man has the potential to be a star in this league. Teammates talk up the seven-foot sensation each chance they get.

Though Mitchell has an isolation tendency during certain possessions — dependent on game flow — he is absolutely a playmaker. It helps when you’ve got two bodies coming at you as a ball-handler because it means somebody’s going to be open. Typically, Mobley is at the top of the key and touches the ball the second-most on the team per game (71.0) thus far, and yes, Mitchell is first (83.0). But Mobley is also getting the most front-court touches (41.0) and paint touches (11.3) by far.

So between Mitchell, Darius Garland, Caris LeVert and Max Strus, he’s getting his opportunities thus far. It would also help to see what it looks like with a full-strength Cleveland squad, but we haven’t been afforded the opportunity. This is specifically related to what Mobley’s usage and role look like when Jarrett Allen comes back into the picture.

In comparison, last season, Mobley was third on the Cavs in touches per game while Mitchell and Garland led the pack. Toeing the line between development and competing for a championship is a tricky endeavor. There aren’t many third overall picks this early in their careers that have competed on contending teams.

What I will say to those that are impatient with Mobley is to just wait. He’s barely scratched the surface. The signs are there.