Cavs: Evan Mobley will be great security blanket for guards

Heading into the 2021 NBA Draft on Thursday night, it did appear that the Cleveland Cavaliers could very well eventually go with USC big Evan Mobley.

They ultimately did go with him at #3 overall, and the Cavaliers got themselves a big-time talent there, and down the road, the Wine and Gold may have a superstar.

Mobley had 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 2.4 assists per game in his lone collegiate season with the Trojans, and although it’s not a certainty, I do believe that him and Jarrett Allen can be a formidable duo at the 4/5 for Cleveland.

Now, there are others in the fold, and we’ll have to see what happens with Kevin Love, and Larry Nance Jr. could perhaps be a potential trade candidate by/during next season. Dean Wade could be get some minutes still, and I could foresee some jumbo 3 minutes for him/maybe Nance, too.

Regarding Mobley though, while the defensive perimeter abilities and shot blocking are so intriguing, on the offensive end, he could be a terrific target for Cleveland guards to go to as a security blanket. That’s both in the scoring and playmaking sense.

Mobley will be a great security blanket for the Cavs guards.

Mobley didn’t show a ton of three-point shooting at USC, but in AAU play, he demonstrated true stretch big qualities, and in time, with his touch going toward the basket out of the mid-post and with floaters/runners, I believe that will be there.

Mobley is a player that can create his own offense regularly otherwise too, and his guard-like handle and driving, especially in his matchups, often jumps out.

And it’s apparent to me that with his scoring polish, with him being a presence both in the face-up game and in back-to-basket scenarios, at least to some degree, that he should be quite the security blanket for Darius Garland, Collin Sexton (if he sticks) and others. The recently-acquired Ricky Rubio comes to mind, in that realm.

The USC product should be a player that in a variety of lineups Cleveland should be able to get the ball to in the mid-post, which could lead to hooks/push shots for himself, and as a counter, with Mobley’s passing vision, he could help open up Garland and others as shooters.

Plus, if/when doubles come, Mobley has good timing in hitting cutters with his feel for reacting quick to rotators, and he could hit Jarrett Allen on the weak side for some big-to-big feeds. That some of thing was a regular occurrence between him and his brother, Isaiah Mobley, with the Trojans.

With the Cavs, Mobley’s driving prowess and also short roll floater game/shooting should make him a tailormade target for Garland/Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio/others to go to when needed for offense to take advantage of mismatches at times, though.

And those capabilities (including in secondary transition) should take some pressure off of Cleveland’s guard playmakers, and over time, it could help open Allen and/or Nance as lob threats even. That’s with Mobley having the requisite timing/touch to throw lobs himself on occasion, which could provide an added boost.

Lastly, along with the mid-post/face-up and rolling, to go with passing to help get the offense going in settled situations with his vision/handle, Mobley could potentially provide an easy pick-and-pop target in pick-and-roll for Garland and Rubio.

Him showing viability in that area would only help open up more of the game for him and the Wine and Gold as Mobley becomes more comfortable, too. So that’s definitely something I’ll be looking out for, similarly to KJG’s Zane Harris, who recently hit on the possibilities for him there.

Point being, with Mobley’s wide-ranging skill set and feel for the game, both as a scorer and passer, he should give Cleveland’s guards a security blanket to go to throughout contests, and to help reset offense when needed.