Earlier in the 2023-24 NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to successfully navigate an injury to starting power forward Evan Mobley. He missed time with a knee injury along with point guard Darius Garland. The Cavaliers are now working through a similar situation.
This time, it is NBA All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell who is sidelined, as he received a PRP injection for his injured knee this week. It was going to cost him at least five games, which is a big blow in itself. Like Garland before him, he is now being joined by Mobley on the sidelines.
Mobley suffered an ankle sprain in the third quarter of the Cavaliers’ game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. His injury led to Dean Wade being inserted into the lineup and putting together one of the best fourth quarters in NBA history, helping Cleveland overcome a 22-point deficit.
The Cavaliers have experience playing without Mobley, but luckily, this injury isn’t as severe as his first one. As shared by ESPN, the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft is expected to miss at least one week because of the ankle sprain.
After that time, he will be re-evaluated and an update will be provided. After the game against the Celtics, Mobley was reportedly on crutches and his ankle was the size of a golf ball, giving the impression being sidelined for a week or so is lucky.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Bickerstaff said. Prior to the team’s game on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks, a 112-101 loss, Bickerstaff added that Mobley’s ankle was “tender”.
In Year 3 of his NBA career, Mobley is averaging a double-double with 15.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. A versatile defender, he is also averaging 0.9 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, combining with Jarrett Allen to make one of the better rim-protecting duos in the NBA.
As long as Mobley is sidelined, it looks as if Georges Niang will be taking his place in the starting lineup. Dean Wade will also see extended playing time as the Cavaliers are also without Max Strus in addition to Mitchell.
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