Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley celebrates after hitting a three point basket. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Why Cleveland Cavaliers star Evan Mobley will become league MVP someday

Originally posted on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Oct 12, 2025 6:08 PM ET

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley is in his prime and he is emerging into one of the best players in the NBA.

Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes believes Mobley is one of five players that could make an MVP leap this season.

"Evan Mobley continued his steady climb up the NBA hierarchy last season, winning Defensive Player of the Year while also showing major growth on offense," Hughes wrote.

"He displayed never-before-seen physicality as a driver, finishing with the kind of brutal authority that other big men used to employ against him in his younger string-bean days. Mobley has become the aggressor now, and he's added that overpowering layer to his game while also tuning the finer points.

"After never averaging more than 1.2 long-range tries per game in his career, he fired off 3.2 in 2024-25, hitting 37.0 percent of them. Though Mobley's assists per game stayed steady at 3.2, his overall touch time and average seconds per touch both spiked. Long story short: Cleveland trusted Mobley to handle the rock and make decisions like never before."

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Why Mobley can become MVP

Mobley is already considered as one of the best defensive players in the league, but his offensive game took a leap last season. With Mobley's growth came the Cavs' jump in the Eastern Conference, claiming the No. 1 seed ahead of the playoffs.

The inclusion of head coach Kenny Atkinson also paid major dividends for Mobley's game, giving the team a boost in his overall development. Now that he's had even more time with Atkinson, Mobley could be in line for another stellar season.

The Cavs will be making another run towards a championship this season, and if they get close, Mobley will be a big reason why.

In years' past, the league MVP award has often gone to the player that is the best player on the best team. While Donovan Mitchell could challenge Mobley for that title, the former No. 3 overall pick could be the leading candidate to be the league MVP for the Cavs.

“I think he could be an MVP candidate,” Tracy McGrady said of Mobley. “I think the Cavs will be near the top of the East, and if he takes another leap offensively to go with that defense, he’s in the conversation.”

“If he takes that next step, which Coach Kenny Atkinson has talked about, he’s an MVP candidate,” Anthony said.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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