Based on how his rookie year went with the Cleveland Cavaliers, it’s safe to say that Evan Mobley was a home run selection. He looked to be a franchise pillar-type guy from the jump, and looking onward, he could very well be a perennial All-Star type of player.
In his first season, Mobley had 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 blocks per contest, and him and Jarrett Allen appear to be a heck of a frontcourt defensive duo. Allen had a career year on the offensive end, too, and I don’t want to discount that, as a side note.
In Mobley’s case, though, while it looked to be a hell of a pick in the 2021 NBA Draft at #3, he was arguably even better than anybody could’ve thought coming into the season. Mobley’s two-way capabilities, feel for a player as a rookie at just 20 and his demeanor all played into how he was one of the key reasons for Cleveland’s turnaround.
The Cavaliers did stumble down the closing stretch of the year, and injuries aside, that was unfortunate. But like our own Corey Casey, I still personally thought Mobley was robbed of the Rookie of the Year, which went to Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors.
Regardless, it was an outstanding rookie year for Mobley, and with him just turning 21 on Saturday, as the Cavs noted, it was yet another reminder, to me, that he’s barely scratched the surface of what he can become.
Mobley turning 21 yesterday is another reminder that he’s just scratched the surface with the Cavs.
Mobley was phenomenal in Year 1, and I’m pumped to see what he can to follow that up. As we touched on, he was able to make things happen in a number of ways for the Cavaliers.
Mobley’s defensive abilities, including his shot altering, rim protection, and encouraging signs as a switchable big onto perimeter players all were impressive. He was tied for fifth in blocks per game, and was third in contested shots per outing, per NBA.com’s hustle data.
His IQ on that end was often on display, and despite him needing to get stronger, Mobley more than held his own on the interior. He’ll only continue to improve in that area, too, and with his feel for playing with verticality, as he fills out more, his rim protection will only have of an effect throughout games.
Offensively, Mobley does need to improve as a three-point shooter, and while there were positive signs in the earlier portion of the season, he ended up hitting only 25.0 percent from three on the year. The attempts were only 1.3 per game. It is nice to know that Mobley has already been working on his deep shooting/catch-and-shoot play, though, along with sharpening up the pull-up game, as our own Amadou Sow mentioned.
However, Mobley showed promising mid-range qualities, and his self creation was more on display as he became more comfortable throughout the season, as Sow demonstrated, too. Evan’s skill should only continue to improve with a full offseason leading into his second year as well, and with how he has touch in other areas, I do believe in time, we’ll see more strides from him as a threat beyond the arc with more experience.
In addition, Mobley’s playmaking abilities for a big were on display some in Year 1, and for such a young big, his vision and secondary passing was another positive from his rookie campaign. That could very well be something we see more of in Year 2, too, and with his great IQ, I could definitely foresee more offense running through Mobley in stretche next season.
So, as we’ve hit on here, with him just turning 21 on Saturday, it was yet another reminder that Mobley has barely scratched the surface of what he could become in coming years with the Cavs.
Most rookies don’t impact winning and have the feel on both ends Mobley has, and the 7-foot phenom will continue to get better and better in years to come. And I can’t wait to see what’s in store for him and the team next year.