Evan Mobley is one of the game’s emerging young bigs, and it’s been terrific to see him continue to come into his own for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland’s No. 3 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft had an outstanding rookie campaign, and this season, despite some rough patches on offense earlier on, he’s been taking his game up a notch, particularly since the turn of the calendar to 2023.
On the season, Mobley has had robust averages of 15.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 blocks per contest. In his past 19 games since the calendar has turned, he’s registered the following splits: 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.6 blocks per contest. He’s had four double-doubles in the past 10 games, and has had 19.1 points per outing in that stretch also.
Following the Cavaliers’ one-sided victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night, it was nice to hear his comments about being and staying aggressive for the Wine and Gold, too. This came courtesy of Bally Sports Cleveland from postgame, in which Mobley emphasized how it’s crucial for him to be “as aggressive as possible.” In the game, he had 19 points on seven-of-14 shooting, to go with eight rebounds in 32 minutes.
"Be as aggressive as possible."
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) February 9, 2023
Evan Mobley says he will keep attacking based on what the defense gives him. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/KSodrXzWHd
This mindset from Mobley has to have Cavs fans elated about the young big man’s outlook moving forward.
Mobley has proven himself to be one of the game’s best defensive players, and he’s one of the primary anchors for Cleveland’s elite defense, in tandem with Jarrett Allen. That strong play has been played out in this stretch as well, for clarification.
On the offensive end, however, Mobley has been stepping up for the Cavaliers, who have been on a roll of late, with four straight big Ws, and Mobley has been getting to his spots. It’s been good to see him get some driving chances in this stretch, and his touch on the interior, mid-range feel and rolling expertise has led to him having more healthy production game-to-game.
The 21-year-old big has sky-high potential, and that’s evident, and fans have to be patient. It’s not going to happen over night, and Mobley still is not much of a three-point shooting threat yet.
But as the season has worn on, he’s demonstrated more confidence, and has gradually expanded his offensive tool box. His post-up abilities, efficiency in those situations, playmaking strides and overall feel as a second-year big all are so impressive, and it’s something else to think that he’s seemingly just scratched the surface offensively.
Mobley is not a player that’s going to have the usage of Donovan Mitchell or Darius Garland, and he’s not a guy that’s going to force anything when he’s out there on offense. Those players were not in action in Cleveland’s last win over Detroit, as an aside.
Even with those caveats, though, it’s been refreshing to see Mobley become more aggressive as the season has worn on, and those comments about his approach above are along the lines of what Cavaliers fans have been clamoring for.
Hopefully we continue to see him assertive, and display more confidence as he gets more experience, particularly heading toward the postseason.