The Cleveland Cavaliers could look a lot different next season.
There’s a strong case to be made for trading Jarrett Allen after yet another subpar performance in the playoffs.
And with Evan Mobley’s size and defensive prowess, some believe he could easily hold his own as the team’s full-time center.
That’s not the case with Chris Fedor.
Recently, the Cleveland.com analyst questioned whether Mobley would be able to withstand the physicality that comes with playing heavy minutes at the position:
“Does anyone else besides me wonder about Evan’s readiness to be a full time 5?” Fedor asked. “My concerns are the minutes that he would spend going up against starter quality centers that are bigger, stronger and more physical than him. He’s going to spend a majority of his time against Ivica Zubac, Mitchell Robinson, Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis.”
Granted, Mobley would most likely have to bulk up a little to hold his ground against the league’s elite and most physical big men.
Some power forwards don’t like to play center because of the wear and tear that comes with the position.
Nevertheless, unlike Anthony Davis, who has infamously complained about that multiple times, Mobley isn’t injury-prone, and he doesn’t shy away from contact and can be physical if needed.
Mobley is a power forward first and foremost, and it will take some time and adjustments for him to move to the five spot on a full-time basis; that’s just a fact.
Even so, that might be the team’s best hope as well.
The Cavs can’t afford to roll into this season with the same roster and expect something different to happen.
They will need to tweak things up and figure out ways to get new faces to Cleveland, and given Allen’s big contract and well-documented postseason struggles, he’s the perfect candidate to be on his way out.
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