Key Cavaliers starter to miss extended time with ankle injury

Jan 30, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the Cleveland Cavaliers logo on the shorts of Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeat the Cavaliers 104-97. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Though they have been one of the NBA’s biggest surprises this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers still do not have injury luck on their side.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Wednesday that Cavs big man Evan Mobley will likely miss extended time due to an ankle injury. Mobley sprained his left ankle during Tuesday’s comeback win over the Boston Celtics and is said to be dealing with “significant” swelling.

The former No. 3 overall pick Mobley was an All-Defensive First Teamer last year and is a major part of Cleveland’s identity on defense. He has also been having an excellent individual season with 15.6 points per game on career-high 58/31/70 shooting splits. Mobley’s 10.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game are career-best marks as well.

But Mobley, who already sat most of December and January with a knee issue, now looks poised for another significant absence. The Cavs are also dealing with a shorter-term knee injury absence from star player Donovan Mitchell and recently had fellow guard Darius Garland return from a month-and-a-half absence of his own with a broken jaw.

Through it all though, the Cavs are third in the East at an impressive 40-21. They are giving their fans a lot to cheer about right now and should be able to survive Mobley’s injury with Jarrett Allen holding down the middle as Georges Niang and the impressive Dean Wade sop up more minutes too.