Evan Mobley has been a foundational piece of the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ defense this season. The 23-year-old has shown significant growth on the defensive side of the floor, specifically in his ability to guard every position.
During an April 8 news conference, shortly after the Cavaliers defeated the Chicago Bulls, Darius Garland backed Mobley to win the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year award.
“Evan Mobley,” Garland said. “Hmmm. One personal foul tonight. That’s good. He doesn’t hack, he doesn’t scream at the refs and he goes and blocks shots…Blocks, deflections, switching out one through five when on elite guards,” Garland said. “It’s really a guard’s league right now, and he’s switching out on the top guards in the league and really holding his own. We all stay home when he gets the switch. That’s how much confidence we have in him.”
According to Cleaning The Glass, the Cavaliers are +12 points per 100 possessions better when Mobley is on the floor. In the 4415 possessions the talented big man has played this season, Cleveland is holding its opponents to 111 points per 100, ranking them in the 82nd percentile.
Mobley’s size, versatility and lateral quickness make him one of the most difficult defenders to deal with in the NBA. The Cavaliers’ success throughout the regular season should ensure Mobley is among the front runners for the individual award.
Garland Admits Cavaliers Learned From Celtics
In a recent interview with DJ Siddiqi of RG, Darius Garland broke down the lessons his team had learned during their playoff loss to the Boston Celtics last season.
“The possessions really slow down, the possessions lessen in the playoffs, so you really have to take care of the ball, really have to rebound the ball on the defensive end and try to get some easy ones,” Garland said. “Because it’s really tough to score in the half-court during a playoff series. Just getting a couple rounds under our belts has really helped us, especially last year going against Boston. I think that really flipped the switch in our head just to be ready to play all games, be ready for the physicality and really just take care of the ball on the offensive end, trying to get a shot or rebound every possession.”
That series was over in five games. However, this year, under Kenny Atkinson, it would appear that both the Cavaliers and Celtics are on a collision course for the Eastern Conference Finals. Mobley will undoubtedly have a significant role to play.
Cavaliers’ Plan for Celtics is Revealed
During a separate interview with Siddiqi, which was released via Forbes, Garland discussed Cleveland’s plan for slowing down the Celtics during the playoffs.
“We really have to get out on their shooters, try to limit Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as much as we can,” Garland said. “I know their two superstars are going to really try to get off against us and try to try to bully us and get as many points as they can. We really have to take away Payton Pritchard, Derrick White and Al Horford. Just trying to limit their threes and some of their points and their easy points as much as we can — just try to let those two guys beat us.”
The Cavaliers are eighth in defensive rating. They will undoubtedly pose problems for the Celtics. However, only time will tell if Atkinson has improved the Cavaliers enough to overcome Joe Mazzulla’s reigning champions.
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