Cavs: Evan Mobley has shown full offensive array as of late

When he was drafted with the third overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Evan Mobley was looked at as a defensive juggernaut with a growing offensive game. The things we saw him display at USC were something that many thought would take years for him to fully get back to as he adjusted to the NBA.

Essentially, Mobley was expected to be a project and he still is, however, the offensive array has been much better than advertised.

Mobley has exceeded expectations offensively in general for the Cavs, and he’s really been on-point of late.

Through 14 games, Mobley is averaging 15.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game, shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three on 1.7 attempts per game. The numbers look even better over his last five games as he’s averaging 19.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game, shooting 58.2 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three on 2.8 attempts per game during this span.

Among rookies, Mobley is second in points per game, second in rebounds per game, and of all rookies with at least 60 field goals attempted, he’s first in field goal percentage. His stats paired with the Cavaliers’ early season success has him neck and neck with Scottie Barnes for the Rookie of the Year award, although in the latest Kia Rookie Ladder, Mobley was slotted in at #1, for what it’s worth.

There have been a couple of historic moments for Mobley as well. His first game statline of 17/9/6/1/1 makes him the second player in NBA history to post those in an NBA debut, per Elias Sports Bureau and as h/t the Cavs.

In his 14th game, he became the fastest player in Cavalier history to reach 200 points and 100 rebounds, per Cavs Notes, too.

The Cavaliers have made moves all offseason to ensure that Mobley’s game would have a smooth transition to the league. They first traded for Ricky Rubio, adding another facilitator to the team along with Darius Garland. This influx in facilitation allows for easier Mobley baskets, coming from lobs, dump-offs, and cuts.

Through 14 games, Mobley is 75 percent at the rim on 64 attempts with 81.2 percent of his points at the rim being assisted. 42.9 percent from three over his last five games tells us that he is getting comfortable in this area as well. Being more aggressive from beyond the arc helps to keep the defense honest.

The improved spacing with Lauri Markkanen and Dean Wade at the small forward positions gives Mobley more space to operate, opening up the mid-range game which is an area he excelled at during his time with USC.

What made Mobley a unicorn was his ability to pass as a 7-footer and this has been highlighted so far. So far, Mobley is averaging 2.3 assists per game but it is advanced stats that tell a bigger story. Of all players, involving regular starters, that are 6-foot-11 and taller averaging 20 minutes or more per game and have played in at least 10 games, Mobley is 10th in assist percentage at 10.9 percent, per NBA.com.

Mobley is in his first season while most of the other players above him like Jonas Valunciunas, Jusuf Nurkic, and Steven Adams have all played at least seven seasons in the NBA on multiple teams. It should also be said that Mobley is the only player in that top ten with multiple players averaging at least 6.5 assists per game.

Mobley isn’t tasked with a huge offensive burden like the players above him but as he continues to make strides in his game, I fully expect this assist percentage to get higher and higher.

The offensive potential we’ve seen through the first quarter of the season paired with his already insane defensive abilities gives the Cavaliers a superstar for years to come.

It won’t be long until Mobley is winning DPOY awards and smacking 20-foot jumpers over defenders with ease.