Nothing has come easy for the Cleveland Cavaliers during this stretch. Overall, the Cavs are 7-10 exiting the All-Star break and are 6-9 without Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland's best player, who has been dealing with a bothersome knee injury. Despite being undergunned without Mitchell available, the offense still averages 107.3 points per game since exiting the All-Star break, the eighteenth-best in the NBA.
More worryingly, while Cleveland has only scored more than 100 points 14 times in this 17-game post-All-Star break stretch, their defense has failed to contain the opposition – allowing 109.8 points per game, which is also the eighteenth-best in the NBA. While that 2.5-point differential doesn't seem like much, having only the eighteenth-best offense and the eighteenth-best defense isn't a recipe for success, especially if you're the Cavs who pride themselves on defense.
Evan Mobley to the Cavs' rescue?
Thankfully, Cleveland might get a major boost on defense against the Miami Heat with Evan Mobley possibly returning to action. Mobley has been sidelined for ten games after suffering a nasty ankle sprain in Cleveland's 105-104 home win over the Boston Celtics. But, against the Heat, Mobley is listed as questionable and will likely be a game-time decision, possibly giving the Cavs a major defensive boost.
Whether or not he plays will ultimately hinge on how Mobley's ankle responds to the teams' morning shootaround in South Beach and Cleveland's usual pre-game warmup. If everything feels good and he gets clearance from the Cavs' medical staff, Mobley will get the green light to play and likely draw the start, even if it's on a possible minute restriction.
While Mobley might not be able to give Cleveland an offensive boost for a Cavs squad still without Mitchell (knee), Max Strus (knee), Dean Wade (knee), Ty Jerome (ankle), Pete Nance (NBA G League assignment) and Isaiah Mobley (NBA G League assignment), he'll again help close the gap and force the Cavs to throw their weight around on the defensive side of the ball.
In their past matchups with Miami, Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has empowered Mobley to match Heat superstar Jimmy Butler minute for minute on defense, making the Cavs nearly impossible to score against. Sure, Mobley is more than comfortable defending Butler one-on-one and grades out as one of the NBA's better perimeter defenders. He's also comfortable switching into the interior, walling off the paint alongside Cleveland big man Jarrett Allen. But that's obvious for Mobley whenever he suits up for the Cavs.
Instead, most importantly when it comes to this matchup, Mobley is empowered to play free safety in Cleveland's defense. He can read and react to how the Heat are playing on offense, paying close attention to Butler while Miami grinds to find a bucket. With how sound Mobley is defensively, it leads to easy turnovers forced by the Cavs and even easier fast-break buckets on the other end of the floor. For whatever reason Mobley seems to be the Heat's kryptonite and, as long as he's with Cleveland, the Cavs will keep exploiting that advantage.
Granted, if Mobley does play, he won't be at 100% since he's missed ten games. There's bound to be rust on either end of the floor, and if he's under a minute restriction, it'll be hard to fully understand where his game is currently this season. Regardless, Mobley returning to the fold with nearly ten games left in the regular season is huge for a Cavs team that wants to make some noise in the playoffs – especially if they draw the Heat in the first round. This game can serve as another test for Cleveland on pressure points they can hit against Miami and, if they do collide in the postseason, makes the matchup more favorable for Mobley and the Cavs on defense.
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