Cleveland Cavaliers: Darius Garland Gets Honest About Teammate’s 2025 DPOY Chances

However, it’s hard to win championships by relying on scoring alone. Many Cavs fans will point to Evan Mobley as the defensive glue that pushed the Cavs to the top seed of the Eastern Conference.

The young forward has blossomed into one of the most dominant interior presences in the NBA, and Cavs fans will push for him to win the Defensive Player of the Year award.

One of his teammates echoed the sentiment, supporting Mobley through one of the most compelling advertisements he can make.

Cleveland Cavaliers teammate thinks Evan Mobley should win DPOY

Darius Garland is one of the key players behind the Cavaliers’ incredible rise to the top of the Eastern Conference, so it makes sense that he’s giving Mobley the most obvious praises.

However, the specificity of his arguments may compel fans and voters to think differently. He pointed to the Cavaliers’ dominating win over the Chicago Bulls as a reference point.

Per Heavy Sports’ Adam Taylor:

“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.”

Mobley had a great night during the Cavs’ 113-135 win, contributing on both sides of the floor. While his 21 points was only behind Garland’s, his 12 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and one rejection while only committing one foul makes him a difficult interior presence for teams to get around.

The 23-year-old big man is enjoying his best statistical season in the league. He’s averaging 18.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.6 blocks while only committing two fouls a game. It wouldn’t be strange to see him get the award for his defensive value to the squad.