The first Cleveland Cavaliers player to win Defensive Player of the Year, Evan Mobley's first few NBA seasons have been much better than expected.
In his rookie season, Evan Mobley struggled to make a serious offensive impact, often relegating himself to lurking at the dunker spot or finishing a lob thrown by Darius Garland. Though his personal shot creation never extended beyond the paint that year, Mobley's defensive instinct was the best among any rookie class in recent history. He narrowly missed being crowned Rookie of the Year, losing by a shockingly slim margin to Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes.