Mobley is the second ever Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month.
The NBA has been doing conference player, rookie, and coach of the month awards since 1982. This is in addition to the Player of the Week recognition that’s also been going on for over four decades. Giving out Defensive Player of the Month is something that just started this season. Dyson Daniels was the first winner of Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month. Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley is the second for his play during December.
Whether we need a Defensive Player of the Month award is up for debate. What isn’t, is how valuable Mobley has been on that end. It’s difficult to quantify defense in the same way you do offense. Compiling blocks and steals doesn’t necessarily make you a great defender. Changing the way opponents have to play offense does. That is something Mobley certainly does.
This is seen in Mobley’s on/off numbers. On the season, the Cavs’ defense is 8.1 points per 100 possessions better with Mobley on the court than they are when he’s off. Cleveland has been a dominant defense whenever he’s on the court (88th percentile in defensive rating) and below average without him (40th percentile in defensive rating).
Mobley’s improvements as a rebounder have been lost in his overall offensive growth. He has always put up decent raw rebounding stats, but the Cavs would often struggle to end defensive possessions when he was out there without Jarrett Allen. Last season, the Cavs grabbed 72% of available defensive rebounds when Mobley was the only center (30th percentile). This season, they’re collecting 74% of opponent misses when he’s the only big (76th percentile). That may not seem consequential, but it can be for a defense that has struggled with this issue in the past. Mobley holding up better on that end is a big reason why that’s the case.
This isn’t the first time Mobley has been awarded for his defense and it certainly won’t be his last. He was All-Defensive first team and was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year in 2022-23. Mobley has a good chance of doing both again this season. The fourth-year big is averaging 18.4 points and 8.7 rebounds on .570/.430/782 shooting splits.
