Former Cavaliers Forward Makes Bold Evan Mobley Statement

Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley received some major credit at the end of this regular season in the form of winning this year's Defensive Player of the Year award– the first of his young NBA career, effectively cementing himself as one of the league's most dominant and impactful defenders.

In 71 games played, Mobley was a two-way force–– averaging 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, alongside 0.9 steals, 1.6 blocks and 55.7% shooting from the field. An eye-catching display that helped lead the Cavaliers to their 60-win finish in the Eastern Conference, along with the first All-Star selection in his fourth year pro.

For Mobley, it was nothing short of a statement season, and when looking ahead to what could be in store for his career moving forward, the sky may be the limit in being one of the league's best defensive players when asking some of his former teammates.

The latest to chime in on Mobley's dominant season was none other than former Cavaliers forward Georges Niang. When asked if Mobley may just be a write-in on the NBA's All-Defensive team moving forward, Niang says it's hard to argue against it.

"It's going to be hard to argue not. He does such a great job of defending on the perimeter, and then, protecting the rim," Niang said on Run It Back. "He's been phenomenal this year. I think he took a huge step, not only offensively, but also defensively; he kind of cemented his will down there. He protects the rim. He guards on the perimeter. He gets steals. He kind of does it all down there."