Tonight the Detroit Pistons and No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham will face the Houston Rockets and No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green. Of course, in the early going of the season many people think it’s the player selected third that will end up being the best of the bunch.
That would be Evan Mobley, who is averaging 14.9 points, 8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 blocks so far this season and has led his Cleveland Cavaliers to a surprising 7-4 record.
Mobley has only played 11 games but might have already established himself on the best player on his team and is already the anchor of Cleveland’s 14th-ranked defense. That might not sound too impressive, but since 2017 the team has ranked 29th, 30th, 29th and 25th, respectively.
In a survey of NBA fans for SB Nation Reacts, voters say the Cavs quick start out of the gate is the NBA’s most pleasantly surprising start to the season.
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On the flip side of that coin, fans were also asked whose slow start was most alarming. It was not surprising to see the Lakers and Celtics on the list, but those two teams come in at only second and third, respectively. The clear winner was the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks with 45% of the vote.
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The Bucks have struggled with a 5-6 record and have been extremely underwhelming on both the offensive and defensive ends. Does that trump the Westbrook implosion in LA? Maybe, but only because that was so predictable. What about the uncomfortable mediocrity in Boston? Well, they do have a new coach and are coming off of a disappointing season so this is just more of the same.
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