The 2024-2025 NBA regular season has officially wrapped up, and the playoffs kicked off this past weekend. With the postseason underway, it’s also time for the annual awards announcements.
On Sunday, the NBA revealed the finalists for its top individual honors. Among those up for Defensive Player of the Year is Evan Mobley, a former USC standout and current big man for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Now in his fourth season with Cleveland—the team that picked him third overall in the 2021 NBA Draft—Mobley posted career-best numbers this year, averaging 18.5 points, along with 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game.
Largely due to Mobley’s standout season, the Cavaliers wrapped up the regular season with a 64-18 record, securing the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. They kicked off their playoff campaign on Sunday with a 121-100 win against the Miami Heat, with Mobley contributing nine points and seven rebounds.