Cavs’ Evan Mobley Named East Defensive Player of Month

In a result that should be surprising to no one, Cavaliers power forward Evan Mobley has been named the Eastern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for December, the league announced Thursday.

Mobley, 23, is having a gem of a season at both ends, altering shots, grabbing the rebounds and facilitating (and sometimes finishing) offense off the break. And that’s just when the Cavs get out and running. He’s also been a beast in the halfcourt.

Offensively, he’s takes another step under new coach Kenny Atkinson. Defensively, he was already elite — but yes, might be improved in that area, too.

As the Cavs’ press release noted:

“This past month, Mobley led the Cavaliers to the No. 1 defensive rating in the Eastern Conference at 106.2, as well as the best record in the East at 12-1. He also helped Cleveland rank first in the East in points per game differential (+15.1), second in opponent field goal percentage (.438) and opponent three-point percentage (.338), and fourth in opponent points per game (107.3).”

But wait. There’s more.

“The Cavaliers held teams to under 110 points on seven occasions in December, including less than 100 points three times,” the release read. “Cleveland was an NBA-best 8-0 when holding opponents to under .450 from the field in December.”

Mobley and Jarrett Allen do indeed create quite the conundrum for opposing teams at the basket. So as amazing as the Cavs have been offensively, their defense is likely why they spent December looking like they’re getting even better. For now, they’re an NBA-best 29-4.

Mobley’s rise, at both ends, has a whole lot to do with all of it. In 31 games this season, he’s averaging 18.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, shooting 57 percent from the field and a career-high 43 percent on 3-pointers. In other words … goodness gracious.

The Cavaliers conclude their four-game Western road trip on Friday with a visit to the defending West champion Dallas Mavericks.

Memphis forward Jaren Jackson Jr. won the award in the Western Conference.

Our Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month appeared on "NBA Today" with Malika Andrews to discuss the Cavaliers league-best 29-4 record and his overall play this season!

If you want to see @evanmobley in the All-Star Game in February, be sure to VOTE:… pic.twitter.com/AQF5g3GM5L

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 2, 2025