A few days after it was reported the Cleveland Cavaliers would miss star Donovan Mitchell for a few games, it appears the team will be without another anchor for the foreseeable future.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, big man Evan Mobley will likely “miss extended time with a sprained ankle.” Mobley suffered the injury during Tuesday’s comeback win against the Boston Celtics. In the game, Mobley recorded four points and six rebounds in 23 minutes of play.
On the season, Mobley is averaging 15.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. The third-year big man is also shooting a career-high 57.8% from the field and 31.4% from the three-point line.
Currently, it is unclear exactly how much time Mobley will miss. However, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com wrote that Mobley was in crutches after the game against Boston:
According to Fedor, Mobley was seen leaving the arena on crutches and likely won’t be available on Wednesday vs. Atlanta. It’s unclear how much more time the big man might miss beyond that.
NBA News: Evan Mobley Injury Update
How Concerning Is This for Cleveland?
Whenever a player like Mobley is likely to miss multiple games, it is usually not a good thing. That said, the Cavaliers are currently 40-21 and are 0.5 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. With just 21 games left on the schedule, Cleveland should make it to the postseason. Furthermore, the team will likely get Mitchell back in a few games.
The Cavaliers have dealt with numerous injuries throughout the season, but they are still in a good position to potentially make a deep playoff run. Although no timeline for Mobley’s return has been officially announced yet, it is encouraging the team did not rule him out for the rest of the season. Furthermore, in their win against the Celtics, the Cavaliers proved they should be considered a real threat to represent the Eastern Conference in June. For now, it is too early for Cavaliers fans to truly be concerned.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley is expected to miss significant time with a sprained left ankle injury, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/SfqvBArH42
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) March 6, 2024
Cleveland will certainly miss Mobley’s defense. In huge part thanks to the California native, the Cavaliers currently have the third-best Defensive Rating in the NBA.
Starting center Jarrett Allen will likely receive a larger workload in the frontcourt during Mobley’s absence. Furthermore, Georges Niang and Dean Wade are candidates to replace Mobley in the lineup for the time being.
Something else to note is the Cavaliers will have an open roster spot on Thursday. This is because point guard Sharife Cooper‘s 10-day contract will expire. It may be a smart move for Cleveland to find a big man in free agency to add depth.
The Last Word on the Evan Mobley Injury
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a good, well-rounded team that can sneak into the NBA Finals this year. Losing Mobley is tough, and hopefully, his injury is not too serious. Either way, things need to go historically bad for them to miss out on the postseason. If they can hold their own while Mobley misses time, they should be fine.
