CLEVELAND — Candace Parker knows a thing or two about winning.
Preparing to enter her 15th season in the WNBA, Parker lays claim to a resume that includes six All-Star appearances, two MVPs and a Defensive Player of the Year award. What's more is that the two-time College Player of the Year has also won two WNBA titles, four Russian National League championships and two NCAA titles, making her one of the most decorated players in the sport's history.
So when Parker, who also serves as an NBA analyst for TNT, was asked about the resurgent Cleveland Cavaliers during a conference call on Tuesday, her answer was notable. Rather than pointing to point guard Darius Garland or Cleveland's collection of veterans, she instead opted to single out the Cavs' youngest player, rookie forward/center Evan Mobley.
"If Mobley is not your first half of the season Rookie of the Year -- I don't know what anybody's been watching," Parker said. "I know in terms of the statistics, it might not show his impact, but he's really honestly leading in winning plays."
Parker's comment was high praise, considering Cleveland's unexpected success this season, in which the Cavs have amassed the Eastern Conference's fifth-best record at 29-19. But another basketball great-turned TNT analyst, Dwyane Wade, upped the ante when he compared the 20-year-old Mobley to one of his former Hall of Fame teammates.
"I look at him like a young Chris Bosh out there," said Wade, who played alongside Bosh on the Miami Heat from 2011-2016.
While Mobley obviously has a long way to go to match the resume of Bosh, who made 11 consecutive All-Star Games from 2006-2016, the early results are promising. Through the first 40 games of his NBA career, the USC product has averaged 15 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, helping anchor a Cleveland defense that currently ranks third in defensive rating.
For comparison, Bosh averaged 11.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks during his rookie season with the Toronto Raptors in 2003-04. His offensive and defensive ratings of 103 and 99 also compare favorably to Mobley, whose respective ratings currently stand at 108 and 104.
All that's to say, while there are a number of ways Mobley's career could go from here, it's certainly off to a promising start. And while there are a number of reasons for the Cavs' surprising success this season, it would be tough to argue that their rookie big man isn't toward the top of the list.
"You're watching these players make winning plays," Wade said. "You're watching a young guy in Evan Mobley make winning plays -- you know that comes from the coaches, you know that comes from the veterans and the guys on the team to help him in the game. Having a Kevin Love, having those guys a part of this team, having Ricky Rubio, having Rondo with these guys -- it's a well-put-together team."