Evan Mobley is an incredibly unique player, one whose impact already is incredible and whose upside seems unending…but that individuality to his game means it can be hard to chart the way ahead. There are some comps from the last generation of basketball stars, names like Kevin Garnett, Chris Webber and Chris Bosh. Yet as ESPN’s Jamal Collier lays out, there is one name from this generation for Mobley to look to: Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo came into the league as a raw 19-year-old and had a long ramp to becoming the physical marvel he is today. Mobley has a head start as a top prospect and immediate starter, but he still has a lot of work to put in to grow into a superstar.
Collier quotes Cavs teammates but also Antetokounmpo himself in praising Mobley and speaking to the path ahead. Giannis’ final line: “It’s up to him if he’s going to work hard and fight through adversity to insert himself among the best in the league.”
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The Cleveland Charge got a jolt of support last night when Mobley, Donovan Mitchell and Cedi Osman dropped by for the game, a 115-105 victory that lifted the Charge to 7-0 at home this season and 10-4 on the season.
https://twitter.com/cavs/status/1600675605132890113
Sharife Cooper has been the Charge’s best player this season, averaging 25.1 points per game (fifth-most in the G League) and 6.9 assists. More impressively he is knocking down 44.4 percent of his 3-pointers. Should the Cavs consider calling him up sometime soon before another team swoops in and claims him?
Over on King James Gospel, contributor Josh Ungar praised the Cavs for their strong season but delivered a sobering opinion: they are not yet title contenders.
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The Golden State Warriors rested Stephen Curry and Draymond Green last night, handing the reigns to the young guns in Utah. Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga had great games and the Warriors looked to have the win in hand, up four with 13.3 seconds left…and then this happened:
Unreal how badly the Warriors blew this game to the Jazz.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) December 8, 2022
Up 4, leaving Malik Beasley - 39% from 3 - completely wide open.
Up 1, weak ball control on the inbound.
That'll go down as one of the most unthinkable comebacks of the entire NBA season. pic.twitter.com/wU46KnUIUx
In other results, the Orlando Magic snapped a nine-game losing streak by beating the LA Clippers in overtime, Ja Morant set a franchise record with his ninth triple-double and Zion Williamson led the New Orleans Pelicans to a win and the top record in the Western Conference.
Coming up: The Cavs get today off as an extra moment of rest before their back-to-back this weekend, starting at home tomorrow night against the Sacramento Kings.