CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team Tuesday.
Mobley received 49 first team votes and 34 second team votes.
Mobley, who registered 24 double doubles this past season, becomes just the seventh player in team history to receive all-defensive team honors but just the third to be named to the first team joining Larry Nance and LeBron James.
Mobley, selected third overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, is also the second-youngest player in NBA history to be named to an All-Defensive First Team, behind only Kobe Bryant (21 years, 71 days at end of 1999-00 season).
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According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last NBA player to make an All-Defensive Team in his first or second season was Tim Duncan in 1998-99 (his second season) and the last to make a First Team honor in his first or second campaign was Don Buse in 1976-77 (his first season).
Mobley played in a team-best 79 games, all starts, this past regular season and averaged career highs in points (16.2), rebounds (9.0), assists (2.8), minutes (34.4) and field goal percentage (.554, 17th-best in NBA), to go along with 1.51 blocks (ninth-best in NBA) and 0.76 steals.
Mobley ranked fourth in total contested shots per game with 11.4 and he had at least one block in 59 games this season, fourth most in the NBA. He blocked four shots in a game eight times this past season.
Mobley helped the Cavaliers rank No. 1 in defensive rating (109.9) and No. 1 in opponent points per game (106.9). Cleveland held teams to under 100 points in an NBA-best 24 games, with no other team having more than 17 such games.
Mobley, a unanimous NBA All-Rookie First Team selection following the 2021-22 season, was one of only three NBA players, along with Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis to average at least 15.0 points on .500 shooting or better, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocks.
Mobley owns career averages of 15.6 points on .533 shooting from the field, 8.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.58 blocks in 34.1 minutes over 148 games (all starts) in two NBA seasons with Cleveland. Mobley is also the only player in Cavaliers history to accumulate at least 1,400 points on .500 shooting, 800 rebounds, 200 assists and 150 blocks in their first 100 career games.