The Cleveland Cavaliers had a top-ten defense from start to finish this season.
They also finished the year with the best record in the Eastern Conference and the second-best record in the entire league.
As such, it only makes sense that their best defensive player is the leading candidate to win Defensive Player of the Year.
Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case, which is why Darius Garland took to X to campaign for Evan Mobley.
The young point guard made a case for his teammate to win the prestigious award.
Rise and Shine! Evan Mobley for DPOY!
— Darius Garland (@dariusgarland22) April 16, 2025
Mobley is the only player in the league averaging at least 1.5 blocks and fewer than two fouls per game.
He’s guarded one through five all year long, and he’s been the team’s defensive anchor down the stretch.
He can swat shots into the stands, stay in front of quicker players, and he knows how to make the most of his long arms to disrupt passing lanes and pretty much everything revolving around him when he establishes his position on defense.
Even so, following a media tour late in the season, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has made a case for the award as well.
Green is most definitely one of the greatest defensive players of all time and a very deserving candidate, and one could even make a case for him being snubbed once or twice in the past.
Then again, given how Mobley has played this season, it’s hard to justify not giving him the award.
NEXT: Stats Show How Dominant Evan Mobley Was On Defense
