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Cavs: 3 takeaways from Evan Mobley’s play in Summer League

By Matthew Fagan

Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
Big Evan Mobley, then of the USC Trojans, blocks a shot. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /

Takeaway #1: Mobley’s defense for the Cavs

The former USC Trojan turned Cavalier has given NBA fans, and especially Cavs fans a lot to get excited about in just a few games. On the defensive end of the court, Mobley came away with three blocks, and a steal against the Rockets, followed up by a block and him being a very active rotator against Orlando. Cleveland is getting a powerhouse on the defensive side of the ball with him.

At 7-feet tall, Mobley’s reach is not something to be trifled with, especially when considering his potential partner in crime in the frontcourt this year. A pairing of Mobley, and the newly extended Jarrett Allen, will be likely to create a great deal of problems for opposing teams.

Allen finished the 2020-21 season with an average of 12.8 points per game, 10.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Defensively speaking, the Fro put up 1.4 blocks and 6.8 defensive rebounds, on average. Putting Mobley at the 4 spot next to Allen at center will provide Cleveland with a defensive wall.

If Mobley can continue his trend of blocking shots, and altering a bunch of shots in the paint as a rotator, it could present a serious problem to opposing teams, especially when in tandem with Allen.

In addition to Mobley’s defense pairing well with Allen, those first two games to begin also gave us a glimpse into the possibilities of Mobley and the second-year wing, Isaac Okoro, together. Okoro scored a solid 17 points, and had three rebounds and two assists against the Rockets, followed up by another impressive outing against the Magic with 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists.

Simply going off the eye test alone, it is obvious that Okoro has bulked up this offseason. When the wing out of Auburn was drafted to Cleveland, the attention was on his defense. And adding Mobley into the mix could elevate Okoro’s game on the defensive end.

With Mobley’s fluidity and ability to switch onto opponents to maintain the perimeter, he can take a little weight off of Okoro’s shoulders.

From just watching three games of Mobley in Summer League, it is clear to this contributor, the rookie Cavalier is going to take the NBA by storm with his defense.

Next, I think we should take a look at Mobley’s scoring.