SALT LAKE CITY — There are always snubs or players who feel like they’re right on the cusp of being an All-Star, even after this season of so many injury and injury replacements. Here’s who can have a good case to be on the All-Star list next season or in the very near future.
Is he a power forward or center? Who cares, it doesn’t actually matter because he functions as whatever Cleveland needs, particularly defensively. This was supposed to be an All-Star type of season, it seemed like he was the most likely of the sophomores to make the leap to the Sunday showcase, perhaps even more so than Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes and No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham. Mobley came into season 2 with high expectations and after he got off to a slow start — largely due to allowing Donovan Mitchell to take up more rightful real estate — he was almost forgotten about.
“It was definitely a different dynamic with Donovan coming in, overall it was a little change,” Mobley told Yahoo Sports on Friday night. “But I felt I did a good job of changing with it.”
Where was he going to get the ball? Would he get the volume of touches his talent seemed to require? It seemed like he was content being lost in the shuffle, but it’s more than likely he was finding his way in the new setup.
A funny thing happened after that underwhelming start, though: Post January, he’s been an undeniable force. Mitchell is still getting the share of shots and opportunities, but Mobley has looked far more comfortable on both ends.
Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, playing for Team Joakim Noah in the Rising Stars on Feb. 17, 2023, in Salt Lake City, is a player who could be in the All-Star Game next season. (Kyle Terada/Pool Photo via AP)
In his last 23 games, he’s averaged 17.6 points and 8.9 rebounds with nearly two blocks — one can say he has an easier time than other first- or second-year bigs because he’s playing alongside a vet in Jarrett Allen, but Allen benefits from playing next to Mobley, too.
He’s figured out how to use his length and he’s not getting bullied while still growing into his body.
“I wanted to be the…
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