Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley was recently named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for October/November, averaging totals amongst rookies of 14.4 points (second), 49 percent field goal shooting, 8.0 rebounds (second), 1.8 blocks (first) and four double-doubles (first).
Even for a rookie, it’s evident that Mobley has incredible basketball IQ, and one can see that whenever he’s out on the floor. Mobley is a force on both sides of the ball and is proving it in just his first year of play with the Cavs as well.
It’s only going to improve with time and look for Mobley to truly develop into a superstar on the Wine and Gold. He has all the tools and tangibles to get better with more time playing amongst the elite.
The Cavaliers currently have a 13-12 record after a tough 109-108 loss to the Utah Jazz and a 112-104 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Mobley had 12 and 14 points respectively in those two battles. Now, Mobley had issues from the field in both of those contests, objectively, but even with that being the case, he was still active and helping the club in other ways; even when he’s not exactly on as a scorer, he still makes a difference on both ends.
As for the team overall, right now, the Cavaliers would be in the play-in as the ninth seed in the East, but them being 13-12, given their schedule, is nothing to sneeze at. And Mobley has been a crucial reason why the club has impressed so far.
Despite a tough last few games for the Cavs, Mobley is still showing signs of steady progression.
What is so unique about Mobley is his wingspan and how he has the ability to make it so difficult for opposing offensive players to score against him, with his contests, sound play and timing. It will be so exciting to see just how good this guy becomes and it appears that each game is a steady improvement from the previous one. He has real superstar potential.
The one part of Mobley’s game that could use work is his efficiency from the floor of late, when factoring in he is a 7-footer, regarding overall players, not just rookies. In the aforementioned last two games, this past draft’s #3 pick went 6-of-16 and 3-of-10 shooting in the respective affairs. Those numbers are certainly not good enough for someone vying to become a star in this league.
That’s a combined 34.6 percent mark. On the plus side, he has been a great finisher on the interior for the majority of the season, and in his past nine appearances, he has hit 40.9 percent from three, albeit on low volume.
Generally though, with Mobley being a cerebral player, and having great feel off-ball, he’ll be just fine, and I’d expect him to make necessary adjustments in coming games.
While it is unlikely the Cavaliers are going to content for a title this season, look for players like Evan Mobley to help this team become a force in the near future. However, the team is still fun to watch regardless of the chances of going all the way this year. That was a luxury in past seasons…
Don’t worry, this team is on the rise, and could be a factor in the East for years to come, largely because of Mobley and Jarrett Allen, among others.