Donovan Mitchell didn’t leave much room for interpretation when he talked about Evan Mobley.
The Cavaliers guard made it clear on Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady's podcast that he still sees Mobley as a centerpiece in Cleveland, and he said Mobley should have bene an All-Star last season. That kind of backing matters, especially because the conversation around the Cavs has long circled the same question: can Mobley become Mitchell’s co-star, or even pass him as the team’s top player?
Mobley has done plenty to keep that debate alive. His rise has come year after year, and 2025 was the peak so far.
He won Defensive Player of the Year, made the All-Star team and earned All-NBA honors. The ceiling has never been in doubt.
What changed in 2026 was the consistency. His regular season slipped, his shot wasn’t falling the same way, and there were stretches when he didn’t attack enough on offense.
Then the playoffs arrived, and the story shifted fast. Mobley looked like a different player when it mattered most, and by the end of the run he was arguably Cleveland’s best performer.
Mitchell pointed to that postseason stretch as the real proof of Mobley’s growth, and the numbers in the game flow backed it up. Mobley was one of the Cavs’ most reliable players through the playoffs, delivering when the pressure climbed and helping push Cleveland to the conference finals.
He made a number of important plays in the Toronto and Detroit series that suggested a bigger role was coming. He also completely shut down All-NBA center Jalen Duren, a huge piece of why the Cavaliers got through and advanced.
For Mobley, the issue has never been talent. It’s been about putting it together every night. Cleveland needs that version of him if it’s going to stay in the contender mix, and that means more seasons like 2025 and a lot fewer like 2026.
Mitchell’s part in that growth matters too. If the Cavaliers want Mobley to keep climbing, the offense has to keep him involved.
He needs the looks, the touches and the rhythm that come with being a real priority. There can’t be long stretches where he disappears from the action.
Now the pressure is on Mobley to make the next step real. The East is loaded, and if Cleveland is going to keep pace and move forward, the leap from Mobley isn’t just helpful. It’s necessary.
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Cavs Have A Rookie Worth Watching In This Rotation Battle
The Cavaliers rotation questions this fall are not just about the veterans who are already known quantities. With Peyton Watson coming in via trade and Meleek Thomas added with the 34th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Cleveland has at least one rookie who made a real push to be part of the conversation after a strong Summer League showing.
Thomas averaged 27.3 points there and flashed the kind of scoring and shooting that can get a young guard noticed quickly, especially on a roster that will spend the preseason sorting out roles. The first chances to see where he fits come October 8, when the Cavs open preseason play against the Celtics and then the Magic, and that early window should tell a lot about how close he is to cracking the rotation. [Read more 🡒]