I’m not going to give the Cleveland Cavaliers the biggest pat on the back for selecting Evan Mobley #3 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. With the likes of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green off the board, going 1-2 to the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets before that, with Mobley’s modern big qualities, that was a no-brainer.
Mobley might not be nearly the players of Cunningham and Green when it’s all said and done, but he sure looks to have the capability to be a superstar in the NBA, too.
The 7-footer had 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 2.4 assists per contest in his lone collegiate season at USC, and with his versatility, guard-like skill set for a big and stretch potential, he could establish himself as Cleveland’s franchise centerpiece.
I do also believe that with Mobley’s passing, defensive chops, including switchability onto perimeter players when needed, and with him appearing to have plenty of shooting potential, that he and Jarrett Allen can mesh well together.
Mobley does need to fill out in time, as he only is 215 pounds currently, but that should come along gradually in coming years.
It is still apparent though that with Mobley’s wide-ranging abilities, in the offensive end in this sense, that he could be a difference-maker from the jump for Cleveland. I wouldn’t necessarily expect him to start from the jump, but he’ll get a ton of action either way, and going forward, he’s clearly a crucial piece and possibly the player the Cavaliers build around.
The pick-and-roll game with him should be really intriguing, too.
The pick-and-roll possibilities are endless with Mobley for the Cavs.
Firstly, we’ll examine the rolling element.
Cavs: The Mobley rolling aspect
Mobley should provide the likes of Darius Garland and Ricky Rubio with a terrific lob threat/pocket pass option. The connections have been a bit off in that way in Las Vegas Summer League thus far, but the timing from Mobley has been there typically on his end for those to be converted.
He demonstrated his touch in rolling situations at USC and in AAU/high school play, where Mobley can finish around bigs, at times over them/other rotators coming to help and his push shot/floater touch in those scenarios stands out.
And on that subject, Mobley placed in the 92nd percentile in college basketball last season as a shooter on floaters and 90th percentile on shots around the rim, per Synergy Sports.
With his gravity as a roller, even in some situations with Jarrett Allen on the floor, Mobley’s presence should present Cleveland with a go-to option that can create high percentage looks inside with his length, touch and skill often.
Plus, with Mobley’s off-the-bounce skill set, he could break down defenders after deliveries in those situations from there too, and I’d imagine will frequently. Against guards and wings after getting switchouts, he could get to money fadeaways in the mid-range, too, for what it’s worth.
And as games progress, whether that’s with starters or in stretches with bench contributors, that rolling threat from Mobley should enable Rubio and Garland to spray out skip feeds to other shooters. Collin Sexton, Dean Wade and perhaps Kevin Love could be great targets for those. The same could go for Dylan Windler or a potential free agency addition such as Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk or Garrison Mathews.
That from the USC product can’t be overstated, and it could help Rubio and Garland as scorers getting layups/high percentage interior looks as an added wrinkle thanks to Mobley’s rolling abilities. Let’s not discount the potential with pick-and-pops for Mobley, either.
Moving along, we’ll examine how Mobley can make a difference for Cleveland as a PnR ball handler at times, too.
Cavs: The PnR ball handling possibilities with Mobley
On the other end of the spectrum, even as a 7-footer, Mobley can be a viable option as a PnR ball handler in sequences throughout games.
Even in 4-5 pick-and-roll with Jarrett Allen, with Mobley being able to hit pinpoint passes to bigs over-the-top, that could be a two-man game with off-ball movement around it that Cleveland could deploy at times leading to interior looks for Allen, for one.
With Evan capable of manipulating weak side defenders from there off-ball, that could lead to opportunities from the corner for perimeter shooters, or to open up meaningful ball reversals with the big-to-big game used.
From there, as a scorer, while I’m not suggesting it’d be at a high volume early on, with Garland, Sexton and Rubio in the fold, Mobley could get some great looks as a PnR ball handler scorer as well.
There were flashes from him as a pull-up shooter with the Trojans in that regard, and while it again was in Summer League play, we’ve seen sequences here and there with him showing impressive PnR ball handler shooting over defenders.
If he can continue to build on that, even if it’s in bench stretches, of which I’d anticipate more so next season, that’d be key his development and show that the Cavs are looking to fully tap into his full array offensively.
Simply put, with Mobley having such a diverse skill set offensively (not discounting the defense), the pick-and-roll possibilities, along those lines, are truly endless with him looking at what’s ahead. It’s up to the Cavs to maximize that, though.