The Cleveland Cavaliers have the best defensive player in the league right now.
With Victor Wembanyama out of contention, Evan Mobley has become the odds-on favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, and rightfully so.
That’s why Tristan Thompson believes it should be an easy decision.
Talking to Cleveland.com, the former NBA champion compared Mobley to Anthony Davis and gushed about his defensive impact on the team:
“Don’t (expletive) it up,” Thompson told cleveland.com. “He is the key for us defensively. Able to guard 1-5. Alters shots. Blocks shots. In the passing lanes. Rule of verticality. Switches onto guards. He is able to do so much at that end of the court. Like I’ve always said, he is a young Anthony Davis. Ev is a nightmare defensively.”
The Cavs have a defensive rating of 108 when Mobley is on the court.
He’s an elite defender who can guard one through five.
He’s mobile and quick enough to stay in front of smaller and craftier players, but he’s also big and strong enough to hold his own in the restricted area against bruising big men.
His presence there allows other players to freelance and take risks, knowing that Mobley will be right there in the paint to alter a shot if they can’t pick up a steal.
There were some legitimate doubts about his fit next to Jarrett Allen, but they’ve developed a strong chemistry on both ends of the floor.
Mobley’s defensive impact is more than evident, and his numbers are virtually the same at home and on the road.
Even if Wembanyama were healthy, Mobley could’ve and should’ve been a strong contender for the distinction, and there’s no valid reason not to vote for him after what he’s done this year.
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