The Cleveland Cavaliers were dealt a brutal blow in their first game of the new NBA season on Wednesday night. Cleveland guard Darius Garland suffered an eye injury which kept him off the floor for a significant amount of time. The Cavs started well but were unable to finish the game the way they hoped. Garland’s absence mattered quite a lot in a 108-105 loss to the Toronto Raptors in Canada.
If Garland had been able to play the full game, this contest might have ended differently for the Cavs. One clear reason: Evan Mobley, whose defense remains elite. He showed exactly how formidable he is as a rim protector against the Raptors, in a battle against the man who beat him out (absurdly) for 2022 NBA Rookie of the Year, Scottie Barnes:
Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are not the guys you want to try scoring on pic.twitter.com/eifg3VqB3b
— Tony Pesta (@Tony_Pesta) October 19, 2022
The Cavs were snakebitten by injuries last season. They have already been hit by the injury bug once again. Hopefully Mobley — himself injured for significant portions of last season — can stay healthy. That would increase the Cavs’ upside.
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