‘Main Focus Is Winning A Championship’

Cleveland Cavaliers 23-year-old star Evan Mobley can finally call himself an All-Star player.

The Cavaliers’ top two-way player has been a notable name since his rookie season back in 2o21-22 immediately after Cleveland selected him with the third overall pick in the draft. The USC alum finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, narrowly finishing behind the Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes after averaging 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.

He also finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting during his second season. However, it’s clear this year that Mobley has taken a step even further into the echelon among the very best of the NBA.

“I found out, we had a game that day, we played on TV, they called my name out, I was just super excited about it – it was a dream come true,” says Mobley in a one-on-one interview. “I’ve been dreaming about this my whole life, so it’s a dream come true.”

Mobley has always been a notable name, but he’s becoming more of a household name due to his presence on the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers. Cleveland has been at the forefront of the conference since the start of the season and currently leads second place and the defending champs, Boston Celtics, by 5.5 games at the All-Star break.

That’s due to the fact that Mobley has upped his play, averaging a career-high 18.5 points per game on 37.8% from beyond the arc. He “attributes” the maturity of his offensive game and the improvement in his 3-point shooting as reasons for why he was named an All-Star this season.

“I feel like the biggest elevation is probably more of my mentality on the offensive side of staying aggressive the entire game and whenever I get a chance to rebound, pushing the ball, shooting the 3-ball as well,” says Mobley. “All those aspects have grown tremendously.”

The most astonishing growth in Mobley’s game has been his ability to connect from beyond the arc. While the defensive skills were always there – he was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in his second season – the offensive game wasn’t always polished. In fact, the 6-foot-11 forward converted on just 25.0% of his shots from beyond the arc during his rookie campaign.

That number has increased in the ensuing seasons. After connecting on just 21.6% of his shots from beyond the arc during his second season, Mobley converted on 37.3% of his shots from 3-point range last season and is at a career-high 37.8% accuracy clip this season through 48 games.

Mobley wants to continue improving his 3-point shot as he looks to grow into an elite NBA player.

“Keep improving my 3-point shot,” says Mobley. “I feel like I still have room for growth there, but I already made a jump in that aspect. Also, just my usage and staying in attack mode the entire time, whether that’s rebounding, pushing or getting to my spots early on.”

Surprisingly so, Mobley hasn’t changed his shots mechanics over the seasons. Many shooters who see an uptick in efficiency usually change their mechanics or technique. Mobley simply attributes his improvement to an increase in reps.

“I didn’t change any mechanics, but just got a lot more reps up,” Mobley details. “The more reps I got, the more confidence I got, and I just kept shooting them.”

While Mobley has been on the All-Defensive First Team and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, the All-Star selection is obviously the most notable of his young career thus far. He also happened to win his second NBA Skills Challenge when him and All-Star teammate Donovan Mitchell defeated the Golden State Warriors’ pair of Draymond Green and Moses Moody in the final.

The former third overall pick is a candidate to win Defensive Player of the Year and the Most Improved Player of the Year award this season, which would represent the first major award of his young career. Mobley is considered one of the top five candidates for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

However, he stresses the “main” goal is to win a championship.

“Those accolades would definitely be great to achieve, but the main focus right now is winning games and winning a championship,” says Mobley. “I feel like the rest of the awards come when you, when you win at a high level. I got to keep the main thing, the main thing.”

Evan Mobley Partners With Panini For 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend

Mobley partnered with Panini for 2025 NBA All-Star weekend, signing trading cards and stickers for fans at Chase Center prior to the All-Star Game. Mobley scored six points and grabbed one assist in his All-Star debut as a member of Team Kenny’s Young Stars, who fell in the opening game, 41-32, to Chuck’s Global Stars.

“I feel like Panini’s a great brand,” says Mobley. “They started for me for my rookie year and we’ve built a great relationship so far.”

The fourth-year star details that he collected sports trading cards while growing up in Southern California. He says his family and friends have collected his trading cards since debuting in the NBA back in 2021.

“I collected a little bit when I was super young,” says Mobley. “As I got older, I haven’t been collecting too much. A lot of friends and family collect as well, they all try to get my rookie card.”