Cavs' Evan Mobley puts critics on notice after win over Nuggets

12/29/2024 01:31 PM

Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley was left wide open throughout Cleveland’s dominant road victory over the Denver Nuggets. Time and again, whenever Mobley was left wide-open on the perimeter, it felt it was intentional on the Nuggets’ part.

"Don't leave me open. Don't leave nobody open on our team," Mobley said. "I feel like the depth of our team, everybody can shoot. Also, our shot quality is one of the tops, so we're not just forcing 3s; we're taking the good ones night in and night out."

When Denver left Mobley open, he went 4-6 from three-point range, continuing his perimeter acumen. However, Mobley’s perimeter barrage was only part of Cleveland’s dominating from beyond the arc. Overall, the Cavs went 23-48, a record-setting fourth-straight game. It was part of a scoring outburst that led to the second-highest-scoring regular season performance in Cleveland’s franchise history.

"That's where the league is going," Mobley said. "If we can get that many, we are going to take it every single time."

Mobley isn’t just talking about Cleveland’s three-point shooting. He’s also backing up and embracing the Cavs’ three-point-heavy attack. Through his first 29 games, Mobley is shooting a career-best 43.7% from beyond the arc. He now has six games with multiple makes. More importantly, his attempts have increased to 71 this season. He's already surpassed last year's total of 59.

"Coaches and teammates, they've been really on me," Mobley said. "Every time I turn down the shot, they tell me to shoot it again and again. Having coaches and teammates like that just helps your confidence. I'm gonna keep letting 'em fly."

How Cavs big man Evan Mobley learned not to worry and love the three-point bomb

Mobley’s four makes from three-point range against Denver are the second-most he’s made in his career. Few of them were considered contested by most metrics and resulted from how the Nuggets defended the Cavs.

After Cleveland superstar guard Donovan Mitchell got rolling early, Denver shifted focus to sending two defenders to keep the ball out of the guard’s hands. This, combined with the Nuggets’ commitment to protecting the rim, left Mobley wide-open. Since Denver didn’t shift to close out on Mobley after the Cavs made an extra pass, Cleveland’s superstar big man burned the Nuggets for their disrespect.

"Just made the right plays over and over again," Mitchell explained when asked about Cleveland's offense. "We came out with an intensity from the jump, and we sustained. If we want to be the team we want to be, we have to play that way for the full 48 minutes. It helps when you're making shots. It helps when Evan Mobley is making off-the-dribble 3s. When you have a few days off, there can be some rust. We didn't have that. It was a complete effort."

Will Cleveland’s perimeter attack slow down any time soon?

Before their upcoming contest with the Golden State Warriors, the Cavs rank first in 3-point percentage at 40.9% per game, third in makes at 16.3 per game, and sixth in attempts at 39.9 per game. So, while Cleveland remains the best three-point shooting team in the NBA, it isn’t the primary focus of their offense. However, with how well the Cavs are shooting the ball to begin the season, it isn’t something they should shy away from either.

Cleveland won’t shy away from it because Mobley has finally embraced his three-point marksmanship as a player. While the big man isn’t only attacking from the perimeter, he’s become a safety valve for the Cavs on offense. With opponents overcommit elsewhere on defense, Mobley keeps things flowing.

"He's starting to get over the hump where we need his gravity," head coach Kenny Atkinson said. "Because when the playoffs come … when you got these guys that are elite rim protectors, and they just stay back in the paint, you gotta keep 'em honest."

Mobley did more than expose Denver’s defensive dishonesty. His three-point attack was instrumental in Cleveland starting out their Western Conference road trip with a dominant win, setting the tone for their remaining games in 2024.

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