In a season where the Cleveland Cavaliers have made their mark as one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, one name has stood out as the pillar of their success: Evan Mobley. At just 23 years old, the Cavaliers’ young star has put together a season for the ages, proving time and again that he is the league’s best defender.
Night in and night out, Mobley’s case for the Defensive Player of the Year award has been as clear as it has been compelling, but somehow, in a twist that has left many scratching their heads, he now finds himself in a battle with a seasoned veteran: Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.
Don’t discredit Evan Mobley’s defensive dominance
To understand why this battle feels so unfair to Mobley, we must first examine what he has accomplished.
Throughout this season, Mobley has transformed into a defensive juggernaut. He has been the anchor of the Cavaliers’ defense, a defense that ranks in the top 10 league-wide, and his numbers are staggering.
Moreover, Mobley ranks sixth in the league in total blocks (97) and third in contested shots per game. In advanced defensive metrics, such as Defensive Win Shares, Defensive Box Plus-Minus, and Defensive Rating, he ranks among the top 20 players, underscoring his all-around dominance.
The Cavaliers’ defensive rating when Mobley is on the floor is 107.7—second-best in the entire NBA. When he’s off the court, that rating skyrockets to 111.8, an indicator of just how critical he is to their success.
“Evan is Defensive Player of the Year. Should be a no-brainer,” Darius Garland said. “You’ve seen it for however many games we are at right now. He’s definitely the best defender in the league by far. Switching onto guards and bigs.
“I don’t know how many blocks he’s averaging, but it’s up there. He’s definitely the wrong person to get switched onto and go ISO on because it won’t work. Contests. Steals. Blocks. Isolation defense. Defensive efficiency. On/off. There’s no 7-footer that is doing that right now in this league.”
How Draymond Green has entered the conversation
Despite these undeniable numbers, there has been a recent shift in the narrative around the race for the NBA’s top defender.
For much of the season, the award seemed to be Mobley’s to lose. His stellar play on both ends of the floor had established him as the frontrunner. That is, until Green suddenly emerged as a contender for the prestigious honor.
Green, who has won the DPOY award in the past, has used his platform and media presence to push for another shot at the award. In a league that often values narrative as much as performance, Green’s vocal campaign has gained traction, bumping Mobley from the top spot in the odds.
The fact that Green, a player who is not even the best defensive player on his team, has managed to overshadow Mobley’s dominance is baffling. While Green remains a capable defender, particularly with his high basketball IQ and leadership on the floor, his statistics simply don’t compare to Mobley’s.
Green’s defensive rating, for example, ranks 29th in the league, and his impact isn’t nearly as pronounced as Mobley’s when it comes to his team’s overall success. Cleveland’s defense is among the best in the league with Mobley on the floor, while Golden State’s defensive rating takes a noticeable hit without Green.
Regardless, it seems that the storytelling, the media narrative, and the weight of Green’s past accolades have pushed him into the Defensive Player of the Year conversation, which is a major slight to the year Mobley has had.
The Cavaliers know how special Evan Mobley is
This shift in the narrative has been deeply frustrating for those who have seen Mobley’s defensive brilliance up close.
“It’s kind of embarrassing, actually,” Garland added. “He’s gotten robbed out of a couple of awards already. I don’t want him to be robbed out of this one, too. He’s deserving of it. He’s been doing it for three years now. He hasn’t gotten an award yet. I think it’s time the league gives him the recognition he deserves.”
There’s a sense of injustice among the Cavaliers’ players and fans, who know how instrumental Mobley has been to the team’s success.
In a recent win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Mobley showed why he’s the DPOY front-runner. He recorded four blocks, bringing his season total to 97. And when Portland made a late-game push, Mobley stifled their offense, preventing them from scoring a field goal for six minutes, a defensive stand that sealed Cleveland’s 58th win of the season.
Mobley’s versatility was on full display—he can guard any position, alter shots, block attempts at the rim, and disrupt passing lanes. He is the epitome of what a modern-day defensive player should be, and his performance in that game was just another reminder of why he is the Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner.
In the end, the story of this season will not be about Draymond Green’s media campaign or his past accolades. It will be about Evan Mobley—a young, rising star who has established himself as the undisputed Defensive Player of the Year. Mobley’s time has come, and nothing should stand in his way.
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