Cleveland Cavaliers forward/center Evan Mobley has been named the franchise’s first-ever NBA Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for games played in December 2024, the NBA announced Thursday.
In the inaugural season of this monthly award, Mobley becomes the second NBA player to receive this honor for the Eastern Conference.
This past month, Mobley led the Cavaliers to the No. 1 defensive rating in the Eastern Conference at 106.2, as well as the best record in the East at 12-1. He also helped Cleveland rank first in the East in points per game differential (+15.1), second in opponent field goal percentage (.438) and opponent three-point percentage (.338), and fourth in opponent points per game (107.3). The Cavaliers held teams to under 110 points on seven occasions in December, including less than 100 points three times.
Cleveland was an NBA-best 8-0 when holding opponents to under .450 from the field in December.
Mobley played in 12 games last month and averaged 18.8 points on .589 shooting from the field, including .524 from three-point range, 7.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.42 blocks in just 28.8 minutes per contest. The fourth-year pro was one of only three players in the East to average at least 1.4 blocks and 1.0 steals in December.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. earned defensive player of the month honors in the Western Conference.
Cavs’ Atkinson wins Eastern Conference Coach of the Month:
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson also received recognition on Thursday, as he was named the NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for games played in December 2024.
This is second time he’s won the coach of the month award this season as he won award for the month of October/November.
Atkinson led the Cavaliers to an Eastern Conference-best 12-1 (.923) record, which was tied with Oklahoma City for the best mark in the NBA in December.
This past month, the Cavaliers had the best home record in the East (7-0), while finishing the month 5-1 on the road and a perfect 5-0 against Western Conference teams. Cleveland outscored its opponents by an NBA-best 15.1 points (122.4-107.3) in December, and won a league-high 11 games by at least 10 points, including four victories by 20-plus points (second-most in NBA).
Cleveland’s 29-4 record is the best start in Cavaliers history and the best mark by any NBA team since the Golden State Warriors in 2015-16 (31-2). The Cavaliers are also just the 12th team in league history to open a campaign 29-4 or better through the first 33 games of a season.
Oklahoma City Thunder Head Coach Mark Daigneault earned coach of the month honors in the Western Conference.
The Cavs, who have eight straight, conclude their four-game road trip in Dallas on Friday night against the Mavericks.
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