The Cleveland Cavaliers have been on a historic run this season. At 44-10, they are the best team in the NBA, and their impressive run has not gone unnoticed. They’ve had three All-Stars from their starting 5, with Donovan Mitchell being named a starter, and Darius Garland and Evan Mobley making the reserves list. Mitchell is the clear leader of this team, but according to Garland, he’s not their most important player.
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Joining Run It Back after the Cavs‘ trouncing of Toronto, Garland was questioned about the Cavs’ success, and who among the starting 5 played the most important role for them. Michelle Beadle and Lou Williams joked with Garland about how he could name himself as the team’s most important player, but he instead chose to stay humble.
He laughed with them but then got serious as he explained that, despite the awards being individual, basketball is a team sport, and the Cavs’ core 4 (himself, Mitchell, Mobley and Jarrett Allen) all made major contributions to bring them to the top of the East. But, when pressed more, Garland gave way and named Mobley the team’s MVP this season.
“I just don’t have 1 MVP, but, actually, Imma give it to Evan Mobley. Evan has been our catalyst this year, and I think he’s gonna take us over the top as he grows each year. When you watch film with him, and see the breakdowns he goes through, you can see that he’s just growing every game, so I’mma give it to Evan.”
Garland also gave a shoutout to the Cavs’ strength and conditioning coach Derek Millender, and claimed Mobley’s insistence to hit the weight room and get stronger has helped him dominate. Mobley’s much-improved offensive game really has been the difference maker for the Cavs this season, as his co-stars have remained on a level of production that they’ve shown throughout their careers.
"Who's the Cavs' MVP for the first half of the season?" – @MichelleDBeadle
"Go ahead, say yourself." – @TeamLou23
"You can say it's you I have no issue with that." – MB
😂
Cleveland is such a strong unit, but @dariusgarland22 ultimately gave Evan Mobley the team MVP 🙌 pic.twitter.com/mSjHPtUypd
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) February 13, 2025
Evan Mobley has taken an offensive leap
Even when he was drafted #3 in 2021, the USC forward was a defensive force. The Cavs wanted him to anchor their defense for the future, but there was one common criticism about his game- the lack of offensive diversity.
Mobley’s three-point shooting was erratic in his first two seasons, with him barely going past 25%. Mobley is now shooting a stunning 37.8% from beyond the arc, to go with his blossoming finishing stats. He’s always been a great finisher at the rim, with a career average of 55%.
The numbers don’t do much justice to Mobley’s offensive game this season, but he is averaging a career-high 18.5 points. This is where the eye test comes in. In watching Cavs games, it’s clear to see that the 7-foot forward is becoming a lot more comfortable with his body and strength. He’s more willing to go to the rim and score through contact, and his free-throw stats show that.
He’s jumped from 3.4 FTA last season to 4.1 this season and has a career-high 75.4% conversion rate from the line.
His defensive brilliance is severely understated, and he even finished top 3 in DPOY voting in 2023. His presence in the paint, along with fellow 7-footer Jarrett Allen, is a huge reason the Cavs have been able to maintain the 8th-best defensive rating in the NBA.
Garland’s bid to nominate Evan Mobley as the Cavs’ MVP is a very solid one and something that’ll do wonders for the 23-year-old’s confidence heading into the All-Star Break.
