Cleveland Cavaliers
Breakout candidate: Evan Mobley
Generally in the NBA, the jump from year 2 to year 3 is when good young players become good young stars. If Evan Mobley is going to be the star player that many expect him to be, there’s a good chance that we’re going to see that star-level leap this season. And for the Cleveland Cavaliers, that’s what they’re hoping for. If Mobley can make the jump to a star-level player, and he’s already close, it would completely alter and raise the ceiling for the team heading into a crucial year.
As the Cavs continue to prove to Donovan Mitchell that they can give him a good opportunity to win a title, part of that revolves around the team’s internal development. Mobley can play a key part in keeping Mitchell interested and around for the foreseeable future. If he does end up having a breakout season, the Cavs will only be that more dangerous in the Eastern Conference.
Mobley has the potential to be a dominant two-way big in the NBA. The big question for him is whether or not this will be the season where that begins to happen.