Victor Wembanyama tends to force opponents into a bad kind of basketball. At 7-foot-4, the San Antonio Spurs star can rise over defenders, erase shots at the rim and turn simple possessions into awkward ones.
For most teams, that’s the problem. For Cleveland, though, the answer may already be sitting in the frontcourt.
Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley have each put together eye-catching numbers against Wembanyama, enough to make the Cavaliers worth watching closely when these teams meet. It’s a small sample, sure, but the results are hard to ignore. Cleveland has also come away with all three regular-season games Allen has played against Wembanyama.
Allen, in particular, has delivered some of his best work in these matchups. In three regular-season meetings with Wembanyama, he has averaged 27.3 points and 14 rebounds while shooting with remarkable efficiency.
Wembanyama has averaged 23 points and 12.7 rebounds in those same games. Allen’s production stands out not just because of the numbers, but because of how he’s getting them.
He doesn’t have to bully Wembanyama into submission. He can stay active, move without the ball and finish above the rim without asking for a steady diet of isolation plays.
Mobley has added a different kind of trouble. In two regular-season games against Wembanyama, he has averaged 22 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 64.3 percent from the field.
He also scored 28 points on 11-for-15 shooting in their February 2024 meeting. For a player who has sometimes drawn questions about how assertive he is offensively, that’s a strong response against one of the league’s most intimidating bigs.
What makes Cleveland interesting is the fit, not just the individual numbers. Mobley can defend away from the basket without giving up the size needed to battle inside, and Allen brings similar value in a different form. Together, they give the Cavaliers two agile big men who can make Wembanyama work on both ends.
That doesn’t mean Cleveland has cracked the code. The sample is tiny, and Wembanyama has still put up impressive numbers against the Cavaliers.
Individual averages don’t tell the whole story of every possession, either. But Cleveland’s frontcourt has already shown it can create real problems for San Antonio’s star, especially when Allen and Mobley are working in tandem.
Against most teams, that blend of size, athleticism and mobility is a luxury. Against Wembanyama, it might be the closest thing to a practical plan.
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Cavaliers Preseason Left One Rotation Battle Looking Much Different
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The backup point guard spot, meanwhile, never really produced the separation the Cavaliers were hoping for. Tyrese Proctor got chances to make his case, but his offense never found much rhythm and the overall production left the door open for Cleveland to keep looking as the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]