“He might not be in the conversation, but he was definitely playing like one.”
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lauri Markkanen couldn’t hold back a smile when he talked about the MVP chants Cavaliers rookie Evan Mobley was receiving from the Cavalier faithful in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday night.
When faced with the challenge of taking on reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, Mobley stepped up and showed out, scoring 27 points, notching 11 rebounds, and denying two Nuggets shots. Mobley scored nine of the team’s 12 points in overtime.
Despite Mobley being just a rookie, Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was not surprised by the big man stepping up when they needed him most.
“I mean, you don't want to take it for granted, but I'm not surprised,” Bickerstaff said following the 119-116 win Friday night. “Whatever our team has needed in moments to go help when a game, Evan has proven that he's capable of doing it."
"You know, that's a credit to him. But it's also a credit to his teammates and their belief in him and their ability to get him the ball in the right spots. But he's just not afraid. There's nothing that you put in front of him that rattles him. And we said it time and time again. He just wants to win. And he's willing to do whatever it takes.”
Evan Mobley per game since the game Jarrett Allen got injured:
— Eustacchio Raulli (@EVR1022) March 19, 2022
21.1 points on 59% true shooting
10.6 rebounds
2.3 assists
1.4 steals
1.7 blocks
Special player.
Since the Cavaliers lost All-Star center Jarrett Allen to a middle finger fracture on March 6th against the Raptors, Mobley has been tested switching back to his natural center position, matching up against MVP-caliber centers Jokic and 76ers center Joel Embiid. Mobley has passed with flying colors, impressing his teammate and All-Star point guard Darius Garland.
“He’s our Rookie of the Year in the NBA,” Garland said of Mobley following the win Friday. "I think it's easy if you watch Cavaliers basketball, my opinion. … This [is] the guy right here. He does everything for us, defensive-wise, offensive-wise. He’s a 7-foot unicorn. He can do everything so I’m happy to have him on my team.”
With Mobley just 20-years-old and still vastly improving, saying the sky’s the limit for the big man might be selling him short…
Mobley finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds in the 119-116 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night
