After the lottery balls were not kind to the Cleveland Cavaliers the past few years, the Wine and Gold saw their lottery luck turn around this past Tuesday when they landed the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
While the Cavaliers will not get the good fortune of landing Cade Cunningham, who is seemingly the presumptive top overall pick in this year’s draft, the Cavs will still have their choice of a talented prospect. Cleveland may have the chance to add one of those names (the Houston Rocket do have the #2 pick) in USC big man Evan Mobley.
Mobley is 7-foot tall, 215 pounds, and is widely regarded as the top big man in this year’s draft. With the Cavaliers’ recent history of drafting guards, a big man would be a logical choice.
Yes, the Cavs could hold onto Jarrett Allen too, but adding Mobley could mean Cleveland would be able to let Allen walk if he gets an offer the Cavaliers do not want to match. However, Mobley and Allen could play alongside each other, at least initially, to see if it was a viable pairing.
Having a pair of 7-foot big men on the floor with shot blocking ability would give the Cavaliers a formidable frontcourt duo. Allen could play more of the traditional center role, while Mobley could play the stretch-4 role. Yes, Mobley has yet to develop a consistent outside shot (hit 30 percent on 1.2 attempts per game last season) but will not turn 21 years old until next June, and there is plenty of time to develop a more reliable three.
So what should Cavs fans expect from Mobley if he’s their pick?
While the outside shot would be a work in progress for Mobley, one realistic expectation for Mobley next season, if he is the Cavaliers selection, would show his rim protection/defensive impact.