NBA Makes Major Evan Mobley Announcement During Playoffs

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paul White | Last updated Apr 21, 2025 8:27 AM ET

The Cleveland Cavaliers won 64 games this year in a drastic 16-win improvement from last season.

With largely the same roster as the one that got eliminated by the Boston Celtics last year, the transformation has been led by head coach Kenny Atkinson and his forward thinking approach.

He implemented an offensive style that is heavily predicated on ball movement and all five players being involved in the game plan.

The development that forward Evan Mobley has made has been critical to the success of the new philosophy.

He’s nearly tripled the amount of threes per game that he attempted last season which has played a huge role in unlocking the Cavs offense.

As good as he’s been offensively, it’s his defensive prowess that has caught the attention of the NBA.

Coming out of USC, Mobley was lauded as an uber athletic, versatile defender that had the potential to be an All-Defense caliber player.

The All-Star has taken that leap this season, averaging nearly two blocks per game and anchoring the second ranked defense in the NBA this year.

With such impressive dominance and team success, comes attention and acknowledgment.

The NBA has finally woken up to Mobley’s defensive destruction and announced him as a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year on Sunday afternoon.

He is going up against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels and future Hall of Famer Draymond Green and if the narratives surrounding the award are any indication, the race will be extremely close.

Some of Mobley’s teammates like All-Star guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland have publicly expressed their support for his DPOY bid.

If the All-Star forward were to win the award, it would go a long way towards validating Cleveland’s historic season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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