Cavs: The defensive outlook for a Mobley-Allen pairing
I believe in any sport, you win games first by playing defense and the Cavaliers are now better on that end of the floor by drafting Mobley.
Mobley is so smooth with his footwork and his ability to get down in defensive positioning for a big man. Watching videotape on Mobley is a delight, especially to this middle school basketball coach.
Whenever I’ve coached at the younger levels like middle school and high school trying to get your bigger post players to improve on playing defense can be a real struggle. Getting any kid at any level of playing basketball to learn how to work their feet and get quicker is a challenge. Most big kids can’t figure that part of the game out and thus the smaller guard players learn to easily run by the taller, awkward big kids.
With Mobley’s agility on the defensive end, that will automatically make the Cavs a better team defensively, which was ranked at #25 in team defensive efficiency a year ago. While Allen can start the season at the center position, Mobley can start at the power forward spot.
He can run out to defend the perimeter and not get burned by the opposing guards like some past Cavs have done at that 4 spot on the floor in the past. Mobley has an uncanny ability to recover with his tremendous footwork and force the ball back outside.
And with forcing the action outward, Allen can reinforce being that rim protector. Opposing teams will be a little more nervous now that the Cavs have drafted Mobley. When the opposing teams try to get the ball to the opposite end of the offense and the weak side, you’ll now have Mobley defending that side and terrorizing his opponent with that 7-foot-4 wingspan, and feet that defend more like a point guard.