Even if Evan Mobley is Cavs draft pick, Isaiah Hartenstein could be back

The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to have the #3 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, set to commence on July 29. With that selection, it would appear that the likes of Jalen Green, Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs could end up being Cleveland’s pick.

That said, the Houston Rockets are rumored to favor Green’s shot creation/scoring polish over potentially Mobley at #2, and while Houston could end up going with Mobley still, it would seem that he could end up being Cleveland’s pick.

I’d be more than fine with that for the Cavaliers, as even with Jarrett Allen seeming to have a good chance of being locked up long term this offseason, perhaps via matching a restricted free agent offer sheet, Mobley could still be a viable pairing with him for stretches.

Mobley’s perimeter shooting wasn’t on display much at USC, in fairness, but he has terrific touch inside, has a tight handle for a big, is fluid and with him displaying it in AAU and with his clean stroke, I do believe the catch-and-shoot stuff will show from him fairly early on.

Regardless if that’s in Year 1 though, Mobley has impressive vision for a big that can be valuable in settled situations, and I firmly believe him and Allen can mesh well in stretches together anyway. That could even result in having Larry Nance Jr. or Dean Wade as jumbo 3s in those instances, too, which could provide an interesting wrinkle for Cleveland.

Mobley could play in some spurts still with the likes of Isaiah Hartenstein too though, if Hartenstein, who is reportedly likely to decline his $1.8 million player option for next season but wants to return to Cleveland, is back.

Based on these comments from Evan Dammarell of Fear The Sword, Hartenstein does reportedly want to return to the Cavs in the process, too, which is a plus.

Now, with Allen seemingly in mind, in the case he is back, which appears likely, and a potential Mobley selection, that’d be two players getting their share of playing time at the 5, with Mobley as a backup option for Allen in that way.

But to me, with Mobley still only 210 pounds right now, and feasibly playing a considerable amount at the 4 early in his career/perhaps next season until he’s able to gradually put on more weight, it’d be sensible for Hartenstein to be in the fold still. And with Mobley’s touch, passing feel, fluidity and also rim protection (2.9 blocks per game at USC), to go with defensive versatility, those two could be another viable pairing for spurts as well.

Hartenstein could still be a rotational contributor/be back with the Cavs, even with a potential Mobley draft selection.

After he was acquired via trade from the Denver Nuggets near the prior deadline, Hartenstein made the most of the first time he was able to regularly have a role in the NBA.

Hartenstein did show potential with the Houston Rockets and Nuggets, but played sparingly in his first two seasons with the Rockets at the NBA level, and while he did have some of a role with Denver, only played 9.5 minutes per outing. Then he had 3.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per appearance in that half-season with them.

With the Cavaliers though, he had 8.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks in 17.9 minutes per game, in what was 16 appearances post-deadline. Before he would eventually miss a number of the closing batch of games for Cleveland of this now-past season due to a concussion, he showed plenty of promise, and looked to be a player that the Cavs should definitely keep around as a reserve 5.

Hartenstein is another 7-footer, like Mobley, but is a sturdy 250 pounds. He demonstrated great touch near the rim in his own right though, and looked to be a viable roller/screener and his feel on push shots with both hands stood out to me in his time on the floor.

Plus, Hartenstein, while he doesn’t have near the vision of Mobley, who should end up being a key secondary playmaker at the NBA level, Hartenstein still is more than capable of hitting cutters and I thought had nice timing often in hitting perimeter shooters, leading to quality looks.

And regarding the defensive end, although he does need to clear up his fouling, Isaiah does look to be a real rim protector in rotational minutes, and had 2.4 blocks per-36 minutes with Cleveland last season. Lifetime, that clip at the NBA level has been 2.2 per-36, for further context.

Anyway, to drive the point home, even if the Cavs do end up selecting Mobley #3 in the 2021 NBA Draft, Hartenstein could seemingly be back/re-signed maybe with a multi-year deal for $3-4 million of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Perhaps the Cavaliers could still sign a veteran lead guard via team-friendly deal even and still bring back the non-guaranteed Dean Wade via some of that MLE, even.

Point being, with Mobley seemingly likely to play the 4 a good amount early on at least, and feasibly off the bench to start, as KJG’s Justin Brownlow suggested, Hartenstein would still be a viable player to have in the fold for playable depth behind Allen.

Mobley is thin still and with Kevin Love even still in the fold, at least to begin next season, it’d be sensible to have Hartenstein back, and much more so than Mfiondu Kabengele, who is set to be non-guaranteed from here.

And with Nance/Wade at times being able to play the 3 to spell/play with Isaac Okoro/others in the backcourt for spurts, and either way, with Darius Garland, Collin Sexton and/or perhaps Dylan Windler/Taurean Prince/Cedi Osman with him, Hartenstein could again give Cleveland a lift.

So, while again we’ll see, if Mobley ends up being Cleveland’s pick at #3 in the 2021 NBA Draft, I could still very well foresee Hartenstein, who wants to stick around, end up being re-signed in free agency by the Cavs. I couldn’t blame them for doing that, either.