So, Evan Mobley returns to the lineup last Saturday, and the Cleveland Cavaliers end their five game losing streak with a win and then go to Dallas Monday night, and blow out the Mavericks.
Seems simplistic to say the rookie is pretty important to the fortunes of the wine and gold, no?
While J.B. Bickerstaff’s team is 12-6 with Mobley in the lineup, it should be pointed out that during the those five contests without a win, the Cavs were at various points, missing Jarrett Allen and Lauri Markkanen as well.
Cleveland is 12-7 when Allen plays, and 7-6 when Markkanen is on the court. And to be fair, they are 7-4 when Collin Sexton plays.
Through the first 25% of the season, it is clear, when healthy, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a solid basketball team.
And they haven’t exactly played an easy schedule. They already have made one west coast trip and they’ve only played three teams (Toronto, Detroit, and Orlando) with losing records.
(That’s a little misleading because only 9 teams in the NBA right now have losing records. Out of 30 teams, that’s kind of weird).
Obviously, the contributions of Rookie of the Year candidate (dare we say favorite?) Mobley are a big factor in the success of the team. The third overall pick in last summer’s draft is scoring 14.5 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, dishing out 2.6 assists, and blocking 2 shots per night.
And the big lineup favored by Bickerstaff, using Mobley with Markkanen and Allen together and having Kevin Love as a backup, has been a big success so far.
We have said it for awhile, despite the emphasis on three point shooting and point guards, quality big people are still very important in professional basketball.
There are other factors for the early success as well. Darius Garland continues to improve in all areas. His points per game and assists per game, as well as his overall shooting percentage are all increased from a year ago.
Getting Ricky Rubio has been big too. Although his scoring and shooting have tapered off from the hot streak he had in early November, having a veteran that understands how to play in significant. That he moves the ball, averaging 6.3 dimes per night, helps as well.
And Cedi Osman has turned into a viable three point threat. In the past, we always felt Osman was misused as a shooter, when his real strength was as a slasher and creator. This was because he made just 30.6% of his long range shots a year ago, and more than half his shot came from behind the arc.
This year, Osman has made 43% from three point land, and with the loss of Sexton to injury, it has been needed. He has become what the organization thought Dylan Windler would be, someone who could stretch the defense.
Is the 43% figure sustainable? Maybe it isn’t, but it’s much, much better than 30%.
It’s not all rosy. The injuries were a problem because beyond the top eight players Bickerstaff uses, there isn’t much. Dean Wade is getting minutes and really doesn’t produce much, but he does gobble up minutes. He did have one real good outing against Golden State, but that’s really about it.
Windler has had injuries, but came to the league purported as someone who could do more than shoot, but he hasn’t been good in that department.
Lamar Stevens gives good effort and can defend, but that’s about it, and Denzel Valentine got some minutes when the injuries hit, and showed he needs to develop a better basketball IQ, taking ill-advised shots and some forced passes.
Perhaps if the Cavs stay in the thick of the playoff hunt, GM Koby Altman can make a move to bolster the end of the bench.
It’s fun to watch the Cleveland Cavaliers again. Of course, winning is part of having fun.
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