CLEVELAND — Cleveland Cavaliers rookie center Evan Mobley had a standout first season in the league, helping give the Cavs their first winning season since 2018—but that wasn't enough to earn him an NBA Award, snubbed from Rookie of the Year honors.
Mobley had been named a finalist for the 2022 NBA Rookie of the Year Award last week.
Drafted by the Cavs with the third overall pick, Mobley made a name for himself early, standing out not only as a top rookie but as an explosive player in the league in general, averaging 15 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 blocks.
All season long, Mobley's teammates and others around the league have raved about him and how much he deserved the honors.
But on Saturday, the winner of the award was announced by the NBA and the honors went to Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes. Mobley, however, was right there in the mix, only trailing in voting by 15 points.
Voting was tallied from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, and the results were so close that it marked the smallest margin of victory for an award recipient since the voting format began 19 years ago.
Barnes had 378 points, with 48 first-place votes, 43 second-place votes and nine third-place votes. Mobley had 363 total points with 43 first-place votes, 46 second-place votes and 10 third-place votes.
Detroit Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham came in third place in the voting.
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