INDEPENDENCE — Evan Mobley was not crowned the NBA Defensive Player of the Year , but the Cavaliers forward being a finalist for the award in his second professional season is still considered a notable accomplishment.
"I don't know of a guy his age that's had that type of impact," Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Monday afternoon of the 21-year-old Mobley.
The NBA announced Monday night Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. won the DPOY award, finishing ahead of Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez and Mobley in voting by a global panel of 100 sports writers and broadcasters.
In the voting results, Jackson received 391 points (56 first-place votes, 35 second place and six third place). Lopez tallied 309 points (31 first place, 47 second place and 13 third place), and Mobley 101 points (eight first place, 10 second place and 31 third place).
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The Cavs drafted Mobley third overall in 2021. Bickerstaff pointed out it's rare for a second-year player to be in the mix for DPOY.
"Most of these guys come up and offense has got them to where they are, so it takes them a while to figure out the defensive end of the floor," Bickerstaff said. "For him to be there as quickly as he is, it speaks to his intelligence. It also speaks to the job his dad did with him coaching him coming up, teaching him how to play the game the right way and understanding the values of the game."
Mobley helped the Cavs rank first in the NBA in defensive rating (109.9) and first in fewest points allowed per game (106.9) in the regular season.
"This year, he kind of got out of his shell, was more assertive knowing that he could get away with more stuff and be the best defender he can be," Cavs center Jarrett Allen said.
Now the Cavs are gearing up for Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks Tuesday night in Cleveland . In Game 1 on Saturday night, the Cavs lost 101-97 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
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Mobley's performance will be crucial, and he should be a DPOY contender for years to come.
"The fun part about working with Evan is he wants to take himself to a point where there are no flaws," Bickerstaff said. "He wants to play a perfect game. There are areas defensively that we've talked to him about where he can be better. We'll continue to work with him on those things."
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs' Evan Mobley third in NBA Defensive Player of Year vote
