Cavs: Evan Mobley and the ridiculousness of records

The NBA is obsessed with records. They want to find something unique and wholly original in every player’s performance. Some of these record hunts lead to insights into players who are truly special, more stones with which to build a resume for one of the all-time greats. The Cleveland Cavaliers saw those pop up frequently when LeBron James was in town.

The Cavs also saw another kind, the narrative record, just the other night in the season-opening loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Jarrett Allen became the first player in the NBA shot-clock era to go 10-for-10 or better in a season opener; he went 11-for-11 to score 25 points against the Grizzlies. The first game isn’t any more meaningful than any other, but it’s fun to catch the narrative and enjoy the performance in that light.

The Cavs saw two big men set supposed records on opening night. Why is Evan Mobley’s record superfluous number-crunching?

Another Cavs big man saw recognition for a “record-breaking” performance. In his NBA debut, No. 3 overall pick Evan Mobley got the start and put up a line of 17 points, nine rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block, only the second player in NBA history to put up such a line in his debut. That narrative of Mobley “making history” received local recognition, was communicated back to Mobley in postgame interviews, and even made headlines at national sites.

The problem is that ultimately this “record” that Mobley reached means nothing. It’s not an historical benchmark that indicates future success, it’s not a definable benchmark that will contribute to the fan experience in a meaningful way, and it may in fact turn off casual fans due to the sheer ridiculousness of declaring it some sort of “history” setting performance.

Mobley had an excellent debut. He absolutely had the best performance of any of the top picks in the NBA Draft; Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 pick, did not play due to an ankle injury. Jalen Green shot 4-for-14 and scored just nine points; Jalen Suggs did him one worse by shooting 3-for-14 with 10 points.

Scottie Barnes was much better with a 5-for-13 line and 12 points. Perhaps he set a record with 12 points, nine rebounds, six turnovers and five fouls in a debut. Let’s check: yes, just the third player in NBA history with those numbers in a debut, after Shaquille O’Neal and Mychal Thompson. Scottie Barnes will one day win multiple titles with the Los Angeles Lakers!

To return to Mobley, he had a very strong performance. The point of the “record” is to illustrate that Mobley was active offensively, defensively and especially that he moved the ball well in setting up his teammates. Those things are true, and the box score can give us an easy visual way to identify that.

Yet to suggest that declaring it a “record-setting performance” is stretching reality. If that performance happened in any other game it would be ho-hum, a good sign for a rookie that he played well but nothing special.

It’s not as if the numbers in a debut are predictive. DeAndre Ayton is the other player to match Mobley’s production in a debut, back in 2018. Were the six assists especially a sign of things to come? Not at all, as Ayton averaged just 1.8 assists per game in his rookie season. Perhaps a sign of a slow-developing skillset? It must be exceptionally slow-developing, as his career average is just 1.7 assists per game. In fact, those six assists in his debut are still his career high for a regular season game.

By parroting “record-setting” and “NBA history” around frivolously, we do two things. First, we cheapen the actual historic performances put up by the league’s star players, the best-of-the-best. If everything is “historic” then nothing is. Secondly, it turns away fans because players who are clearly stars are paired with role players and young prospects who haven’t proven anything through a twisting of hyper-specific numbers.

One of the most famous examples of this was one such graphic by the Indiana Pacers, who found a way to include Thaddeus Young in an all-time club:

Look, this isn’t meant to rain on Evan Mobley’s parade. The Cavs have to be ecstatic at the way he has leveraged his handling and playmaking already for the team, and his defense is ahead of schedule for a rookie. He had an exceptional debut, one that should bode well for the future.

Historic? Record-setting? Sorry rook, I think not. Let’s wait to start carving his name into any memorials for at least a few more games. Mobley is an unwitting pawn in the game of media hype, and as a collective NBA body we need to take a step back and let players develop without the complicated net of historic expectations.

Now what if Mobley can post that same line against the Hornets? Now that is history.