CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a previous story.
The NBA All-Star Game is coming to Cleveland next month, and the Cavaliers figure to be represented by at least one player in the game itself and are very likely to have a presence throughout other aspects of the weekend as well.
The Cavs have three players that have been good enough to generate some sort of All-Star buzz this season in point guard Darius Garland and big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Each has a different case, and the likelihoods of each have fluctuated throughout the last couple of weeks.
Here is the likelihood for each to be named an Eastern Conference All-Star this season:
3. Evan Mobley
The rookie from USC has been undoubtedly impressive in the first half of this season. He’s certainly the front-runner for the Rookie of the Year Award and has been integral to the team’s success on the court, something that’s a tad unusual for a rookie in such a prominent role. This season, Mobley has played in 37 games, averaging 14.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. In the eight games he’s missed, the Cavs have gone just 3-5, including four straight losses as part of a season-long five-game losing streak.
Mobley has been part of one of the Cavs' best three-man groups this season, too. When he shares the floor with Garland and Allen, that trio has outscored opponents by 108 points in 578 minutes this year. The Cavs' defensive rating with that group on the floor is 98 and they’re outscoring opponents by 9.3 points per 100 possessions. There are a few trios that have logged at least 200 minutes together that have a better defensive rating than that trio, and Mobley is part of all but one of them (Ricky Rubio played 256 minutes alongside Allen and Garland, and the Cavs posted a defensive rating of 92.4 in that time).
What Mobley is doing is rare for a rookie, and while it likely won’t ultimately result in an All-Star appearance, Mobley is a lock for the Rising Stars Game and looks like he’ll be in this conversation for a number of years to come.
2. Jarrett Allen
As of a couple of weeks ago, the case for Allen to be named an Eastern Conference All-Star seemed like a lock, and that hasn’t exactly changed much. He still should be in the game, but may not have the best case of anyone on the Cavs at this point, through no fault of his own.
Allen has been excellent for the Cavs all season long. He’s averaged a double-double, with 16.6 points and 10.9 rebounds per game on nearly 70 percent shooting from the floor. All three marks are career-highs for the 23-year-old. He’s one of just three players in the NBA, to average at least 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game, joining Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid.
Allen signed a contract extension this summer to stay in Cleveland, and it certainly looks like one of the best moves that Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman has made to date. Like Mobley, Allen is a key cog in the success of the Cavs, even if he isn’t a threat to score 40 on any given night.
1. Darius Garland
The latest stretch of Garland’s play has pushed the third-year guard from being firmly on the All-Star bubble, to nearing lock category. He was just named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the first time in his career and seems to keep getting better with each game that’s played.
To date this season, Garland has put up averages of 19.7 points, 7.9 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. Over his last 12 games, Garland has been even better than that, scoring 21.6 points and dishing out 8.8 assists per game. The Cavs are 13-3 in the last 16 games that Garland has played, and for the season the team has outscored opponents by 9.6 points per 100 possessions when Garland is on the flood, the best number of any rotational player the Cavs have.
The Cavs have been the biggest surprise in the Eastern Conference, and arguably the NBA. At this point, Garland has taken his claim as the best player on the team, and combining that with his numbers and impact on the court should give him the nod as a first-time All-Star.