The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without the services of rookie big man Evan Mobley for the next two to four weeks with a sprained right elbow. Mobley sustained the injury Monday night in the loss to the Boston Celtics.

The Cavs are one of the bigger surprises in the young NBA season. They enter Wednesday night 9-6 and in 5th place in the deep Eastern Conference. A lot of that has to do with the rookie, Evan Mobley.

He has already shown why the Cavs drafted him 3rd overall in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Mobley was already one of the key players on the team, averaging over 14 points, eight rebounds and over a steal and block per game. With Mobley sidelined for a few weeks, in order for the Cavs to stay afloat, they are going to need these three players to step up their game: Kevin Love, Ed David and Darius Garland.

I think most people would assume Jarrett Allen would have been on that list. But to be honest, it's hard to do much more than he already is. Allen leads the team in player efficiency rating at 21.56. He is averaging over 14 points per game and crushing the glass with almost 11 boards per game. Plus, he is making plays like this…

One of the strengths of the Cavs early in the season is their paint presence defensively. Allen and Mobley have been the anchors down there. Now, it falls on Ed Davis to fill that role.

Davis' minutes should increase. He has never averaged more than 25 minutes per game during his 11-year career. But in the seasons where he averaged in the mid 20's per game, he has proven to be an effective rebounder and shot blocker.

That paint presence will be vital, especially as Jarrett Allen is currently out with an illness.

Kevin Love is also going to need to step up for the Cavaliers. But more on the offensive end. He can still shoot and stretch the defense. This is the first season in his exceptional career that Love is not averaging in double figures offensively. He enters Wednesday just under at 9.9. That will almost assuredly change over the coming weeks.

Finally, they will need Darius Garland to take his game to the next level. The Cavs already lost Collin Sexton to a meniscus tear last week, leaving the front court somewhat depleted. Garland, to this point is having a fine year. He is averaging 16 plus points per game, over a steal a game and his shooting percentage is up. However, so are his turnovers with the ball being in his hands so much more.

The Cavs are going to need better efficiency out of him.

This is the deepest the Eastern Conference has looked in possibly two decades. If Cleveland wants to tread water until Mobley gets back, they are going to need these guys to up their games.