Cleveland Cavaliers forward-center Evan Mobley is the recipient of the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy because the 2024-25 NBA Defensive Participant of the 12 months.
A four-year NBA veteran, Mobley has been named the Kia NBA Defensive Participant of the 12 months for the primary time. The 7-footer is the primary participant to earn the distinction with the Cavaliers.
Mobley is the fifth 23-year-old to be chosen because the Kia NBA Defensive Participant of the 12 months, becoming a member of Alvin Robertson (1985-86), Dwight Howard (2008-09), Kawhi Leonard (2014-15) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (2022-23). No participant youthful than 23 has ever gained the award, which has been offered yearly because the 1982-83 season.
Within the 2024-25 common season, Mobley ranked sixth within the NBA in blocked photographs per recreation (1.59) and thirteenth in defensive rebounds per recreation (7.0). He contested 10.4 photographs per recreation, the third most amongst gamers who performed in no less than 70% of their staff’s video games (58 of 82).
Opponents shot 44.5% from the sphere when Mobley was the closest defender, 3.2% decrease than their anticipated proportion on these photographs (47.7%). That distinction was the fourth largest among the many 30 gamers who defended no less than 1,000 photographs for the season.
Behind Mobley, the Cavaliers ranked eighth within the NBA in defensive score (111.8) and third in opponents’ subject aim proportion (45.4). With him on the court docket, Cleveland had a defensive score of 108.6 – which might be No. 2 within the league.
Mobley gained the Kia NBA Japanese Convention Defensive Participant of the Month Award twice, for December and February. He was additionally named an NBA All-Star for the primary time.
Total, Mobley averaged 18.5 factors, 9.3 rebounds and three.2 assists in 30.5 minutes in 71 video games. He helped the Cavaliers (64-18) end with the second-best report in franchise historical past and earn the No. 1 playoff seed within the Japanese Convention.
