Cavs' Evan Mobley, Raptors' Scottie Barnes forever linked since 2021 Draft

INDEPENDENCE — It quite possibly could be the most important matchup. Cleveland's Evan Mobley will be assigned the task of slowing down Toronto's Scottie Barnes in the best-of-seven first-round series that starts Saturday at Rocket Arena. The players have a long history of competing head-to-head, starting in the 2021 draft when Mobley was the third overall pick and the 6-foot-8, 237-pound Barnes went one later. Barnes got one on his rival when he won the NBA Rookie of the Year award, narrowly beating the 7-foot, 230-pound Mobley. Last season, Mobley took a giant leap when he was named Defensive Player of the Year, made the All-Star team and was a second-team All-NBA choice. Barnes has been a two-time All-Star. The 24-year-olds will forever be tethered because of where they were drafted. Their games are different, though, as Barnes is more of a playmaker and a connector and Mobley is better defensively, on the boards and as a rim protector. Neither is a great shooter, though Barnes has a strong mid-range game and Mobley led the league in dunks for the second season in a row. Mobley started the season with extremely high expectations. Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said Mobley could finish in the top five in MVP voting but also wanted Mobley to evolve into a "stretch 4," shoot a lot more 3-pointers and handle the ball. Mobley struggled in the early going. "He had a mentality switch post All-Star," Atkinson said. "He came back (from the All-Star break) with a chip on his shoulder. He wasn't happy with the way the first half-finished." Adding point guard James Harden at the trade deadline has helped Mobley's game. He has developed a strong two-man game with Harden. Mobley said the two have done a lot of film study to help with the transition. "I'm learning what his cues are," he said. "Sometimes you can't say anything. You just have to look. Once I learned that, it became very easy. I think our two-man game is one of the best in the league right now." Atkinson said Mobley's game has developed this season. "Evan is in a good place now," he said. "He's got all the tools." Guard Donovan Mitchell said teams must pay so much attention to Harden and himself. "Now that we've added another dynamic guard, you'll see (Mobley) thrive," he said. "Now, I have a more focused role," Mobley added. "I'm in a good spot now." Mobley's numbers are very similar to Barnes', averaging 18.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 blocks in 65 games. He shot .546 from the field, .297 from the 3-point line and a career-low .606 from the free-throw line. Barnes averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 blocks in 80 games. He shot .507 from the field, .304 from the 3-point line and .815 from the foul line. "It's a good matchup," Mobley said of facing his rival. "Toronto is a good team. They have a lot of length and size. They are going to come out and try to play physical. We have to match that and exceed that. It's going to be a good matchup." Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.