Cleveland Cavaliers veteran star Kevin Love claimed Evan Mobley should win the Rookie of the Year award this season.
Mobley, who is out recovering from injury in the last few games, has been the most consistent performer among rookie helping his team in both sides of the floor.
After a strong first half of the season wherein there was a general belief that they were going to finish in the Top 4 of the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers have recently fallen back down to earth.
The fell out of the top-six after losing several key players to injuries, including All-Star Jarrett Allen, starting point guard Ricky Rubio and leading scorer Collin Sexton among others.
The Cavs are currently sitting on the seventh spot in the East and will have to fight their way for a playoff spot via the Play-In game. That does not change the fact that Mobley remaining the favorite to win ROTY.
“I think Evan has just been consistent all the way through. Defensive end, offensive end. He stepped up when Jarrett Allen was out, or we’ve had different guys in and out of our lineup,” Love said on Mobley on a recent interview with Michael Kaskey-Blomain of CBS Sports.
Mobley is averaging 14.9 points on 60/25/66 shooting splits, while he’s adding 8.3 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 2.5 assists through 67 games.
“He’s just been a steady force. He never really hit a rookie wall throughout the season. I’ve seen a lot of rookies come in and out of this league and he has a chance to be extremely special. I think he’s proven that he’s downright Rookie of the Year. But again, he has really good company in the guys that are at the very top of his class.”
Love has also been an important part of the Cavaliers’ resurgence offering veteran leadership and off-the-bench scoring to a young team.
Cleveland (43-36) have sealed their first winning season since 2017-18, and will look to secure a postseason berth via the play-in tournament later this month.
If the Cavs are able to hold on to seventh spot, then they will have to face one of the Nets, Hawks or Hornets to make to the playoff.
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