Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers just had the best season of his career, but could he get even better in the years ahead?
Speaking on “Run It Back,” Mobley’s teammate Georges Niang said that Mobley is going to be a defensive juggernaut for years to come.
“It’s going to be hard to argue not,” Niang said when asked if Mobley was going to be a write-in for All-Defense in the next 10 years. “He does such a great job of defending on the perimeter and then protecting the rim. I think he took a huge step not only offensively, but also defensively; he cemented his will down there. He protects the rim, he can guard on the perimeter, [and] he can get steals. He’s going to be up there for Defensive Player of the Year battle.”
Evan Mobley is why the Cavaliers had a historic regular season 💯
Chandler Parsons & (former teammate) Georges Niang break down what allowed Mobley to take the next step this season 📈@GeorgesNiang20 | @MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/9leei6aPfc
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 23, 2025
Mobley just averaged 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds in 2024-25.
That was good enough to earn him a ton of praise, as well as his first Defensive Player of the Year trophy.
But one isn’t enough for Mobley, and he wants to take home that prize multiple times.
Niang thinks that’s possible because he feels that Mobley has found his “will” and is a true force all over the court.
Like many fans, Niang was blown away by Mobley’s improvements on both ends of the court.
He wasn’t just better defensively, but he was also much more powerful on offense.
Now he will have to keep it up and show that 2024-25 wasn’t a fluke.
But that is true for the entire team, which did very well during the regular season but then fell apart in the playoffs.
Mobley took the next step this year, but he can’t stop now if he wishes to help his team find long-term success.
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