Evan Mobley set the tone and James Harden helped drive it as the Cavaliers wrapped up their preseason tune-up Saturday morning at Public Auditorium with the annual Wine & Gold scrimmage.
Cleveland split into two teams, played a 36-minute game and used regular NBA referees in front of season ticket holders, giving Kenny Atkinson the kind of run-through he said he wanted to treat like a fourth exhibition game. It functioned as the final dress rehearsal before the season tips off on Thursday.
Gold came out on top, 96-82, and the game tilted early when Harden and Mobley started cooking together. Wine had no answer for the Harden-Mobley pick-and-roll, which opened up easy paint touches and clean looks for Mobley and the rest of the Gold group. Donovan Mitchell was productive offensively for Wine, but the perimeter defense around him never held up.
“I felt like they were giving up layup after layup after layup and then paint points and it’s like, at a certain point, you gotta him them and make them aware that’s not acceptable,” Atkinson said afterward.
There were no official stats, but Mobley was widely viewed as the game’s top scorer. He knocked down a few threes, kept attacking the basket and looked sharp throughout. Atkinson didn’t mince words afterward.
“Evan was elite,” Atkinson said.
Atkinson also praised Harden and Mitchell for their play, though he made clear that Mitchell’s side of the floor was part of the problem defensively. He also mentioned Jaylon Tyson after Tyson’s offensive showing.
The scrimmage wasn’t the only thing worth watching. At halftime, several fans and a few Cavaliers joined a half-court shooting contest. Craig Porter Jr. and Jarrett Allen missed their attempts, but Atkinson drilled his shot to finish the competition.
Even with the sweatpants and the scrimmage setting, there was enough on the floor to learn a few things. Mobley looked like the most complete version of himself this preseason, working off the dribble, pushing after live rebounds and operating at the top of the arc in isolation. He also did a strong job on the other end by keeping Wine away from the rim.
The biggest takeaway may have been how well Mobley fit next to Harden.
“I like it,” Mobley said when asked about playing alongside Harden more. “I think we’re trying to build a lot of two-man games and more camaraderie. I like the play that we had, and I think the more that we play together, we’re just going to have more and more chemistry.”
Mobley’s screen-and-roll work stood out. He made contact on his screens, rolled hard and helped create the space Harden needs to operate. The two also ran a few inverted pick-and-rolls with Harden as the screener, and those possessions produced positive results.
“James has been great in pick-and-rolls and setting up big men for a long time,” Mobley said.
Atkinson liked what he saw too.
“I love what I’m seeing from Evan and James,” Atkinson echoed. “[They’re] really starting to get on the same page.
I think that’s part of Evan being in the paint more. James missed him a few times at the rim today, but the intent is there.”
Atkinson has hinted all preseason that Harden and Mobley could open the season together, and the big question is which three players fit best around them. When asked what those lineups need from the other spots, he downplayed the need to overthink the shooting profile.
“Because Evan can stretch [the floor] a little bit, you don’t have to be as intentional about the shooting piece,” Atkinson said when asked what is needed from the other three players in those lineups. “I think you can throw any three guys out there.”
Peyton Watson looked like one of the cleaner fits. When defenses shut down the Harden-Mobley action, the ball often found Watson on the weak side wing or in the corner, and he made them pay with catch-and-shoot threes. He also showed he can put it on the floor and create for himself, which could matter when opponents load up to stop the two-man game.
Meleek Thomas, meanwhile, looked more comfortable when he could attack with the ball in his hands than when he was asked to work off it. The rookie found spots when he wasn’t sharing the floor with Mitchell, but his impact dipped when he was pushed into more off-ball responsibilities.
The Cavaliers are still sorting out where Thomas fits best.
”He’s really good on the ball,” Atkinson said. “We’re just trying to find that right balance.”
Atkinson believes Thomas could make sense next to Mitchell, in a role similar to what Dennis Schroder handled alongside Mitchell last season. That would let Mitchell move off the ball more often.
There may also already be some chemistry there beyond the court.
“Donovan has taken a special liking to Maleek,” Atkinson said. “He almost feels like ‘I have to build that relationship, build that trust, and then coach them up.’
I always say, player development coaches get way too much credit. It’s having really good, smart vets that elevate guys.
We do our little part, and I think we put them in the right places, but it’s really the coaching from your best players that elevates younger players.”
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