CLEVELAND (USA) - He showed off the talent in high school and for USA's youth national teams, winning titles at both the FIBA U17 and and FIBA U19 Basketball World Cups.
Now, just four years into his NBA career with Cleveland, the 2.11M (6'10") tower of power has helped turn the Cavaliers into an Eastern Conference juggernaut and title contender in the NBA and in the process, been named as the league's Defensive Player of the Year.
Mobley filled up the stat sheet every game, averaging 0.9 steals and 1.6 blocks along (ranked sixth in league) with his 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists per game. He has also been hailed for his help defense. Australia's Dyson Daniels of Atlanta was second in the voting and Draymond Green of Golden State third.
Nicknamed "The Predicament", Mobley was 13th in defensive rebounds per game (7.0) in the league. He contested 10.4 shots per game, the third most among players who played in at least 70 percent of their team’s games (58 of 82).
According to an official news release on NBA.com, opponents shot 44.5 percent from the field when Mobley was the closest defender, 3.2 percent lower than their expected percentage on those shots (47.7 percent). That difference was the fourth largest among the 30 players who defended at least 1,000 shots for the season.
Speaking on TNT about the award, Mobley said: "It definitely was a goal of mine coming into this year. I put all the work in, so it's a big day. But I'm trying to be as focused as I can on the playoffs."
Mobley won the NBA Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month Award twice, for December and February. He was also named an NBA All-Star for the first time.
Mobley's nickname is "The Predicament" because that's what offensive players face when the big Cavalier is on the course and utilizing his defensive prowess.
Mobley and the Cavaliers were 64-18 in the Eastern Conference Regular Season. They have a 2-0 lead over the Miami Heat in the best-of-seven 1st Round series.
FIBA