Donovan Mitchell isn’t buying the idea that Evan Mobley stalled out.
The Cavaliers star made that clear during an appearance on Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady, saying he expects Mobley to keep climbing after already reaching NBA Defensive Player of the Year status.
“I have no doubt he is gonna take the jump that people are waiting for,” Mitchell said. “He’s young. He’s going to take that leap.”
Mitchell was responding to McGrady’s suggestion that Mobley had been through a bit of an off year after previously showing major growth. Mitchell pushed back hard, pointing out that Mobley has been part of winning basketball since he got to Cleveland and saying fans can get too eager when young players don’t develop on their preferred timeline.
That kind of backing matters, especially coming from the face of the Cavs. Mobley has become one of the biggest reasons Cleveland still has upside after finally breaking through to the Eastern Conference finals last season.
That run wasn’t clean. The Cavaliers went seven games in each of the first two rounds before getting swept by the eventual champion Knicks.
Mitchell also admitted on the podcast that Cleveland deserved criticism for how the season ended.
Now the Cavs are trying to build from there. They’re running it back with James Harden on a new deal and making a few changes around the edges, including moving on from Max Strus and bringing in Peyton Watson from Denver, where he’s expected to help right away.
But Mobley remains the centerpiece of the optimism. He’s already one of the league’s best defenders, and if Mitchell’s read is right, there’s still another level coming. That would give Cleveland another gear, too.
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Donovan Mitchell Sees One Big Reason The Cavaliers Could Break Through
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Mitchell also singled out the additions of James Harden and Peyton Watson as moves that could take some pressure off his offensive load, a meaningful detail for a team that has often leaned heavily on his scoring. The larger theme from his conversation was continuity, and whether Cleveland can finally turn familiarity into the kind of growth that shows up deep into the season, when the best teams usually separate themselves. [Read more 🡒]