CLEVELAND — Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson has done a good job of integrating the new additions at the deadline into the rotation. James Harden has paired well with both Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen. And by the sounds of things, it won’t be long until we find out how the new core four looks together.
According to Atkinson, Mobley should be returning from his calf strain “right after the All-Star break.”
Mobley has missed the team’s last six games and is out for Wednesday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards. He injured his left calf in the team’s win over the Orlando Magic on Jan. 26. This was the same calf that he injured earlier on Dec. 12. That initial injury kept him out for two weeks.
If Mobley returns after the All-Star break in the team’s Feb. 19 matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, it would be a three and a half week absence from the court. The timeline for the recent calf strain was one to three weeks.
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Fitting Mobley back into a lineup that looks vastly different could present some challenges.
“I’m not sure if James has ever played with two bigs,” Atkinson said. “It’s usually four shooters, one big, but I have no doubt he’ll figure that one out too.”
Atkinson is already planning for that eventuality.
“We’re trying to get ahead of it,” Atkinson said. “With the coaches, we’ve talked about it. I don’t want to overload James right now. … When Evan comes back, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. … We got to think about the spacing, isolation spacing, pick-and-roll spacing, what kind of sets are best when those two are together.”
The Cavs have bet on talent and overall basketball IQ winning out with the Harden trade. Through two games, it has worked out. We’ll see how that adjustment period goes when Mobley returns.
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