There has been a lot of bluster about Evan Mobley having a “sophomore slump” and not showing the growth expected of him in his second season. As a shooter, that critique is fair, as Mobley is shooting just 17.6 percent from 3-point range on one attempt per game. Long-term success of the Mobley – Jarrett Allen pairing relies on Mobley’s perimeter game improving.
In perhaps every other area, however, Mobley has improved as a player. He is making better reads and passes as a facilitator, his field goal percentage this year is up tremendously because he has significantly raised his 2-point field goal percentage, and his scoring has stayed at the same level despite lower usage with the addition of Donovan Mitchell.
What about the defense? Ben Taylor of Thinking Basketball put together a helpful video looking at Mobley’s defensive tape, which is truly exceptional. Taylor calls him the sort of player who will win a Defensive Player of the Year award later in his career. Yet, the defensive metrics and all-in-one numbers are down on Mobley, and his net rating is well into the negatives. Why is that?
Taylor gives us one key answer: shooting luck. Opponents are shooting 38 percent from 3-point range when Mobley is on the court, above league average, and shooting just 31 percent when Mobley is on the bench, well below league average. That seven-point difference is the largest swing in the league. Defenders, especially bigs, have little-to-no effect on an opponent’s 3-point percentage, just the number and location of attempts.
If and when that shooting variance regresses to the mean, Mobley’s impact will once again leap off the page. His ability to defend the paint and switch on the perimeter is truly special, and he absolutely deserves All-Defense consideration this year.
Trivia Tuesday
In a new feature here at King’s James Gospel, every Tuesday we’ll bring you an interesting trivia question relating to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Think about it, shoot us the answer in the comments or on social media, and we’ll reveal the answer in Wednesday’s news piece. No cheating!
TRIVIA: LeBron James is close to passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for first place on the all-time scoring record. Who is the only other player in the Top 10 to have played for the Cleveland Cavaliers during his career?
More Cavs news
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been in a lot of trade rumors, and many of them have focused on Caris LeVert. But what if the team went a different route? Over on the site, Gage Morgan shares 3 quick reasons why the Cavs should not trade LeVert, while I grade a trade idea involving Isaac Okoro instead.
NBA news
After missing two years due to injury, last night Jonathan Isaac played in an NBA game for the Orlando Magic. He played just under ten minutes and scored 10 points with two steals in the Magic’s blowout victory over the Boston Celtics. In another return, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton came back in the Bucks’ evisceration of the Detroit Pistons, 150-130.
Out West, the scoring explosions kept coming. Houston dropped 119 as Jalen Green scored 41 points to upset the Minnesota Timberwolves, Lauri Markkanen had 25 as the Utah Jazz scored 120 to beat Charlotte, the upstart Sacramento Kings rode a balanced attack and scalding hot shooting to beat the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies 133-100, and Damian Lillard had 37 as the Blazers hung 147 on the San Antonio Spurs.
Coming up: The Cavs are in The Big Apple tonight to play the New York Knicks in the greatest arena on earth.