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Evan Mobley named a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year

It’s down to Mobley, Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. and Milwaukee’s

By Chris Manning
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Cleveland Cavaliers v New Orleans Pelicans Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Evan Mobley, at 21 year old and in his second NBA season, is a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year.

Mobley, along with Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. and Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez, was named a finalist by the league on Friday.

Mobley’s case centers on that he was at the center of one of the NBA’s best (if not the absolute best) defense in the league. Compared to Jackson or Lopez, Mobley is the most versatile defender on this list — he defends everywhere on the floor. He also played the most minutes of the three — nearly 400 more than Lopez and nearly 1,000 more than Memphis.

For the year, Mobley is averaging 1.5 blocks per game to go with .8 steals per game. No Cavalier has ever one Defensive Player of the Year. So if he wins, Mobley will put himself into Cleveland’s history in just his second NBA season.

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