What to watch for when Cavs take on Paul George, 76ers

11/12/2024 02:20 PM

Evan Mobley and the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers are on the road to take on Paul George and the Philadelphia 76ers. One game ago, the Cavs defeated the Chicago Bulls on the road, blitzing Chicago with their bench unit in a bold call by head coach Kenny Atkinson. The 76ers, meanwhile, locked horns with the New York Knicks at home, winning/losing x-x. This matchup with Cleveland will be Philadelphia’s second game in a back-to-back.

The 76ers are heading into this game 2-7 and are tied for the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference. Injuries have taken their toll early into the year for Philadelphia. George has already missed time this year, and the 76ers remain without Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Regardless, the Cavs should expect their best shot when the game begins. Here’s how Cleveland can maintain control of the game from wire to wire against arguably the best foe they’ve faced this year.

The wounded 76ers are a most dangerous beast behind Paul George

In every game he plays, Joel Embiid dictates the form, pace, and style of Philadelphia’s plays on either end of the floor. Unfortunately for the 76ers, Embiid has admitted that he won’t play back-to-back games for the rest of his career. So, with Embiid likely making his regular season debut for Philadelphia against New York, he won’t play against Cleveland.

With Tyrese Maxey also sidelined, the 76ers will likely turn to Paul George to carry them. With George only having four appearances for Philadelphia under his belt, game planning on how to stop a George-centric Philadelphia offense is complicated. George is a three-level offensive threat on the wing who can create shots for himself and others.

With Embiid and Maxey out, George will get even more opportunities to carry the 76ers on offense. However, with such limited tape on how George looks under head coach Nick Nurse, it can be tricky for the Cavs to find the right defensive solution.

George has averaged 19.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists against Cleveland in his career. The best options to defend him on the Cavs’ roster are Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, or Evan Mobley. Against Okoro, George has averaged 4.0 points per game on 66.6% shooting. Compared to Wade, George has averaged 2.5 points in 50% shooting. Finally, against Mobley, George averaged 1.0 points on 20% shooting from the floor.

So, on paper, Mobley is the best option against George. Unfortunately, in four matchups with George, Mobley has only defended the All-Star wing roughly 44 seconds per game. Meanwhile, for the second-best option in Wade, George was only defended by Wade twice in one minute and 19 seconds per contest. Finally, for Okoro, in four matchups with George, the Cavs swingman defended the former All-Star for roughly two minutes and 20 seconds per game.

Cleveland will have to work together to contain a dynamic threat like George. If the Cavs can manage that, it’ll be easier to defend a 76ers team that could be pesky from wire to wire.

Can Cavs big man Evan Mobley continue to dominate on offense?

Speaking of Evan Mobley, not just his defense will be needed against Philadelphia. Mobley’s offensive impact has been vital for Cleveland’s early season success. Unlocking Mobley’s potential and furthering his development was crucial in the Cavs bringing in Atkinson as head coach. So far, Atkinson has been more than pleased with the results.

“He’s convinced me faster than I thought that he’s more skilled than I thought, a better decision-maker than I thought, a better shooter than I thought — so that opens up a world,” Atkinson said. “We can’t rush it, though. We can’t jam it. But it really keeps me up at night, in a good way. Like, man, how else can we use him?”

This season, Mobley has averaged 18.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.7 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game. However, it isn’t the counting stats that stand out. Instead, it’s the Cavs running the offense through Mobley as a facilitator and allowing him to be the decision-maker. Moberly can dribble, shoot from the perimeter, pass efficiently, or create space. He makes Cleveland more dynamic on offense, and the Cavs are using it to keep defenses guessing what’s coming next.

If Embiid is unavailable against Cleveland, Mobley’s offensive repertoire will be critical for their success. The Cavs’ big man has been dominant on either end of the floor lately, and if the 76ers don’t have an answer to stop him, that trend will continue.

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