Cavaliers Forward Makes Strong Offensive Impact In Preseason Opener

Cleveland's Evan Mobley was the focal point of the Cavaliers' offense in their first 2024 preseason game against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.

Oct 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) dunks in the first quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers began their 2024 preseason with a home contest against their Central Division rival Chicago Bulls.

While the Wine and Gold fell by a final score of 116-112, the team did have some productive individual performances.

One of these outings was from forward Evan Mobley, who served as Cleveland's offensive centerpiece. He scored a game-high 19 points, while leading all players in field goals made (nine) and shooting percentage (64.3%).

But Mobley also led all players in an advanced stat: usage percentage.

The 23-year-old had a 30.4% usage percentage, albeit in just under 19 minutes of action. He led the Cavaliers with 14 field goal attempts and tallied an assist, while going 0-for-2 from three-point range and draining his only free throw attempt.

In his first game with Kenny Atkinson as his head coach, Mobley's usage is likely viewed as a surprise by many Cleveland fans. For perspective, the seven-footer had a 20.0% usage percentage a season ago, which ranked fifth on the Cavaliers. His usage percentage was 19.9% in 2022-23, and 20.1% during his rookie campaign.

Oct 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) dunks in the first quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

"I thought he was really good," Atkinson said after Tuesday night's game. "I liked how aggressive he was to the rim. It was that versatility, right? He was in the paint, he was out at the three-point [line], I thought he got two really good looks at the three-point line. I was really, really pleased with his performance, a real positive tonight."

This showing comes not long after Atkinson described Mobley's potential offensive growth during the Wine and Gold's Media Day back on September 30.

While Cleveland has three more preseason games and an entire regular season ahead, Cavaliers fans may wonder if Mobley's performance could be a sign of what might be in store offensively this year.