2 Studs (& 1 Dud) From the Cavaliers Preseason Opener Loss vs Hawks

The Cleveland Cavaliers preseason opener was last night, and while you never want to overreact to a single preseason game, it's been a long offseason. And we totally get wanting to overreact to one preseason game.

So, since I'm not the boss of you, I'll let you make what you want of how much takeaways from one game matter.

Whether you're just interested in how the squad is coming together or you're ready to make judgements on the whole season off the first bit of action, here are the Cavaliers who stood out for better or worse against the Hawks on Tuesday night.

Stud: Evan Mobley

A quick look at the box score would tell you Evan Mobley was one of the Cavaliers' best players in this one, and this is a situation where the numbers aren't lying. But the ways in which Mobley impressed go beyond what the stat sheet points to.

His 10 points were a great start, and came with some interesting volume — 6 field goal attempts plus 5 free-throw attempts.

His involvement in the offense was more than just finishing at the rim, too. Mobley didn't have any assists in the game, but he was getting some touches around the elbow early in the shot-clock, and his skills as a facilitator should unlock some interesting options in the Cavs' offense moving forward.

Mobley also played his usual dominant defense, which is a big part of why he had a much better plus-minus (-5) than some of the other starters (Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus and Caris LeVert were all -10 or worse).

Cavs fans are hoping Mobley is ready to make the leap as a complete two-way threat this season, and the early signs are promising.