INDEPENDENCE — Back to work on Feb. 18 after the NBA All-Star break, the Cavaliers are gearing up for Evan Mobley’s return from injury and mapping out how the starting forward can mesh with point guard James Harden.
Coach Kenny Atkinson said Mobley (calf) and forward Dean Wade (ankle) are “trending towards playing” when the Cavs (34-21) face the Brooklyn Nets (15-38) at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, at Rocket Arena.
Atkinson said Mobley and Wade fully participated and “looked good” during the team’s first practice with Harden since the franchise traded for the 11-time All-Star two weeks ago.
Now Atkinson’s job calls for reintegrating Mobley as Harden appears in his fourth Cavs game. Harden and center Jarrett Allen have already shown impressive chemistry.
“Seeing how that two-big lineup’s going to work with James [will be a focus],” Atkinson said after practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts. “Obviously, Evan becomes a little bit more of a spacer with that group, but we also want him rolling to the rim. So I definitely had a lot of discussions with the coaches, simplifying the sets. What sets work best with the two bigs?
“Until you get out there and try it, [there is uncertainty], especially with a new player. Donovan [Mitchell is] kind of used to it. We’ll see with James, but James is, again, his IQ is so great that I don’t anticipate issues with it. I think he’ll find a way, but it could take a little bit, though.”
Evan Mobley stats
Mobley suffered his second left calf strain of the season on Jan. 26. He has missed the past seven games. The first calf strain cost Mobley five games in December.
Mobley became a first-time All-Star, an All-NBA second-team selection and the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2025. This season, Mobley has played in 42 games, averaging 17.9 points on 51.2% shooting from the field (30.4% on 3-pointers), 8.8 rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots and 33.4 minutes.
Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell expressed confidence Harden will be able to “instill that confidence” in Mobley on the offensive end of the floor.
“I think this year he was more downhill [and driving to the basket],” Mitchell said of Mobley. “Right before he got hurt, he was downhill. I think now him being able to do that [is a key], but also being able to be elite in the half roll with James, elite in the pocket and obviously at the rim.”
Wade (ankle) has missed the past three games, so he also has yet to play with Harden. The revamped Cavs, who also acquired backup guards Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, have 27 regular-season games left to experiment before the playoffs.
“If you get Evan and Dean back, that could change a lot,” Atkinson said. “It’s just going to change things from starting lineup to who’s coming off the bench. There could be a minutes thing there involved. So we’re going to have to figure that out.
“We could see some more jagged edges until we get kind of the rotations established and minutes established. My goal is like, man, it’d be great, two, three weeks before the end of the season, guys know their roles, guys know when they’re coming in, when they’re coming out. That’s the goal, but it’s not going to happen right away. It’s not going to happen in these first five games out of the block.”
Cavs injury report vs. Nets
The Cavs did not list Mobley or Wade on their official injury report for the Nets game — another sign they are expected to play. However, the team ruled out forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin (calf).
Meanwhile, small forward Max Strus (offseason foot surgery) remains out. He has yet to play this season.
“Max is progressing,” Atkinson said. “[He] really did a pretty high-level workout today, but no contact still. But he’s starting to ramp up. We won’t get too excited. It’s not like here on the front [burner]. But he’s doing a lot more, so that’s good news.”
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers preparing for Evan Mobley’s return and fit with James Harden
Reporting by Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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