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Cavs draft: 2021 prospect Evan Mobley looks to be the ideal modern big

By Dylan Conatser

USC Trojans big Evan Mobley takes the ball down the floor. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
USC Trojans big Evan Mobley takes the ball down the floor. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
USC Trojans big Evan Mobley drives. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

The Cleveland Cavaliers, after a solid start to the season, have found themselves in the bottom five of the NBA standings going into the last quarter of the season. By the looks of it, the Cavs will have a high lottery pick once again, going by odds of course, and have a chance at grabbing one of the top players in the 2021 NBA Draft that is reportedly taking place on July 29.

Even with great play from the backcourt and promising talent on the roster, the Cavs will likely miss out on the playoffs for the third season in a row, based on their inconsistencies. This is expected when you have young players getting so many crucial minutes.

The young starting lineup consists of a young backcourt in Darius Garland and Collin Sexton, both players who have flourished this season, and rookie Isaac Okoro, who has shown flashes but is still pretty raw offensively. He is starting to look more comfortable on that end of the floor, though, even while taking up the challenge of guarding the opposing team’s best scorer night in and night out.

Larry Nance Jr. and Jarrett Allen have both had great seasons in the Cavaliers frontcourt. Nance has really came on strong defensively this season posting a tremendous 1.8 steals per game, and when he’s been available, has done a commendable job on-ball as well. And newly-acquired as a piece involved in the four-team James Harden-centric trade earlier this season, Allen has made a difference as a rim protector.

He is putting up 1.8 blocks per game while being a very efficient scorer on the other end shooting 63.3 percent from the field overall, which is fourth in the NBA among qualified players, per Basketball Reference. That’s been due to Allen being primarily a roller/diving threat, but his combination of touch and power has been on display throughout, and hopefully, we see Allen back soon, as he’s missed the past few games because of a concussion.

The Cavs have a very young, promising lineup but now it’s time to start building around that in the draft further and perhaps free agency, to an extent.

In that realm, if the Cavaliers have the opportunity, they’d be getting a difference-maker in big Evan Mobley of USC.

Mobley could be a game-changer on both ends for the Cavs, and appears to have the makings of an ideal modern big.

Evan Mobley is everything scouts look for in a prospect, and we’ll first get into the potential impact he could have on Cleveland next.