Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are two pivotal pieces to the Cavaliers' success over the past few years, but Cleveland is going to need to see some more consistency from both of them if they want to beat the other top teams in the NBA.

Mobley’s Struggles

This was just the second game back from injury from Evan Mobley, so it’s unfair to expect him to play at an elite level right away. With that being said, he’s clearly regressed from the level he was playing at last year. The biggest regression has been in his three-point shooting, where his percentage has dropped from a strong 37% a year ago to 30% this year. Teams being able to leave him unguarded beyond the arc can really make things difficult to score inside, as opposing bigs will just sit around the paint when they’re matched up with him.

Another thing that I’d love to see Mobley improve is his rebounding. The Cavs as a whole have struggled to keep teams off the offensive glass, and that was a major problem against the Thunder on Sunday. OKC came up with six offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter, and those played a big part in the Cavs loss. Mobley finished the game with just two rebounds, which is inexcusable for a player his size.

If Cleveland is going to be able to compete with a team like the Thunder, they’re going to need Mobley to get back to the level he was playing at last season. He’s still an elite defensive player, so if he can get his offensive game back to where it was at the end of last season, things will be much easier for the Cavs the rest of the way.

Allen’s Aggression

Jarrett Allen has been fantastic since Cleveland acquired James Harden. His scoring average has gone up from 13.9 to 22.6 and his field goal percentage has improved by 15%, but he needs to keep those numbers up if the Cavs are going to succeed in the playoffs. Allen finished with just 11 points on six shots against Oklahoma City. He played well, but he just wasn’t involved as much as he should’ve been. In games this year where Jarrett Allen attempts 10 or more shots, the Cavaliers are 14-0.

The team is at its best when everything goes through the bigs offensively. If Allen can stay aggressive and the Cavs keep making him a focal point in the offense, they should have no problem being one of the top scoring teams in the NBA for the rest of the season.

Final Thoughts

Cleveland has been red hot recently, and a loss to the defending champs on the road is obviously not the end of the world. But it was a great test to see how they match up with the team that everyone’s chasing, and losing to that team when they didn’t have their MVP playing shows that they still have some work to do to get to Oklahoma City’s level.

If Cleveland is going to be able to beat teams like the Thunder, Pistons, Celtics or any other top contender, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are both going to need to be at their best together. There’s still a long way to go this season and we’re only six games into the James Harden era. While there’s definitely some stuff to clean up, I still believe that this team has what it takes to win it all if they’re playing at their full potential.