Did ESPN get it right where they slotted 3 Cavs in their top 25 under 25?
By Corey Casey
Why Mobley should’ve been ranked higher
It’s hard for big men to make this type of an impact early on. Mobley’s well known for what he’s been defensively, as earlier in the season, he had a good case to be on an NBA All-Defensive team. Mobley has incredible length, is an elite shot blocker, covers a ton of ground and is able to switch out on the perimeter and is often able to defend the games’ best perimeter player admirably.
What Mobley doesn’t get enough credit for is what he’s shown offensively this year, though.
He was able to average 15 points per game on 50.8 percent shooting from the field, and is just scratching the surface. He is also a solid ball handler for a young big, an excellent passer, is very agile, has great body control and has shown plenty of shot creation as a rookie. Earlier in the year he was able to show promise as a 3-point shooter as well, but that did tail off. Even still, to show all of those things this early at this stage, I have no doubt he’ll eventually improve as a 3-point shooter and fix that.
Overall, no rookie has impacted winning more this season and means more than Mobley does with the Cavaliers. You can argue Mobley should be 6 instead of Cunningham, although again Cade is a special talent and I can understand the ranking. Evan Mobley looks like a young Anthony Davis, either way.
Next up, we’ll get more into why Garland should’ve been higher.