With no Jarrett Allen available for the Cleveland Cavaliers, star big man Evan Mobley has had to step up at center. In their season-opening win over the Brooklyn Nets, Mobley was starting at center for the Cavs and had to deal with Nic Claxton and Ben Simmons.

While Mobley only scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds, the counting stats don't paint the full picture. Mobley's interior defense held Claxton and Simmons to single-digit scoring and only allowed the duo to score 31.3% of their combined 16 attempts.

Defending the rim has never been something Mobley cannot do for the Cavs. In fact, he's one of the best in the NBA at it, considering how little he picks up fouls. But, when looking ahead to Cleveland's home opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a new, unique challenge arises for Mobley in Chet Holmgren.

Unlike Claxton or Simmons, Holmgren can stretch out opposing defenses all the way out to the perimeter. In Oklahoma City's recent win over the Chicago Bulls, Holmgren connected on two of his three three-point attempts. Holmgren's ability might seem like a lot for any big man to defend, Mobley included. But, leading into the matchup, Mobley doesn't seem terribly phased by the challenge Holmgren's offensive attack presents.

“He’s a good player, especially in pick and pops and rolls as well,” said Mobley to ClutchPoints as practice concluded on Friday. “He also gives them a lot of spacing so it’s going to be a little different. But, if we stick to our defense, we’ll lock him up.”

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Mobley vs. Holmgren

When it comes to the idea of locking up Holmgren, Mobley isn't speaking from a position of arrogance. The Cavs are a team that prioritizes shutting down opponents on the defensive side of the ball, something that's preached constantly by head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Having Mobley on the floor as a conduit and the spark that started this defensive trend only makes it easier for Cleveland to practice what Bickerstaff preaches.

It also helps that Mobley isn't just elite defending on the interior but practically from anywhere on the court. Last season, Mobley ranked as one of the league's best isolation defenders, only allowing opponents to score on him in isolation 5.4% of the time. More impressively, Mobley allowed his opponent to connect on 0.0% of their three-point attempts last season.

Mind you, this isn't a random one-off stat, either. Mobley spent 28.7% of all defensive appearances last season defending opponents on the perimeter. So, if Holmgren tries to space him out, Mobley will be more than capable of handling it.

More importantly, Holmgren isn't the only reason the Thunder have a chance against the Cavs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams and others are all more than capable of wreaking havoc and it makes it clear that this will be a team effort versus an individual one. Thankfully, the Cavs already know this and are carrying the right mindset into the matchup, even with the treat of Holmgren looming.

“I think it’s fun for the fans to see Chet since he missed all of last year,” said Caris LeVert as shootaround ended. “But, for us, it’s a team game. We have a plan in place and Chet is a part of that. But, for us, it’s five on five and playing team ball and putting bodies on him.”