Cavaliers star Evan Mobley’s one-of-a-kind game draws wild player comparison

Many analysts have sang high praises for Cleveland Cavaliers star and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley.

Watching Mobley's development from year one to year four, denying his exponential growth is impossible. Defensively, Mobley entered the league in 2021 as one of the most versatile big men across the Association. As he refined his defensive game, the Cavs pushed Mobley to expand his offense beyond the dunker spot.

In his rookie season, Mobley shot just 92 three-pointers through 69 games. In his fourth season, he attempted 230 threes in 71 games, increasing his attempts by 1.9 per game. His efficiency grew from 25 percent in year one to 37 percent in year four. His defensive tenacity also grew, forcing opponent's field goal percentage to fall by 3.1 percent when he is contesting.

Evolving his offense was an obvious need for the young Mobley, but he also furthered his defense. That mentality toward improvement has raised the question as to what Mobley's ultimate ceiling could be as an NBA superstar. In a recent interview by Mark Medina of RG, one of the people closest to Mobley knows exactly what that ceiling is.

Mobley's trainer compares Mobley to the greatest forwards of all time

With a DPOY award under his belt, future Hall of Famer is a realistic goal for the Cavs unicorn already. Mobley's trainer, Olin Simplis, believes he can add an even greater award to his resume.

Simplis motivated Mobley with a simple, repeated message. Nearly every morning last season, Simplis texted Mobley "MVP", reminding him where his talent can take him. In his interview with Medina, Simplis declared that an MVP trophy is closer than many would expect. Telling RG how much he believes in Mobley, Simplis said that the Cavaliers star can be a top-five player for the rest of his career - starting this season.

As his trainer, Simplis has seen every step of Mobley's progression, and he offered insight on the next step that Mobley work on this summer. Simplis stated that the focus this offseason was getting Mobley "to be more dynamic off-the-dribble and more aggressive" by working on his ball handling and getting downhill to apply pressure on the defense.

The star's trainer continued that the goal this season is to see Mobley included in MVP conversations every year going forward. Simplis told Medina his MVP case goes beyond how much he scores, pointing to his tenacity, offensive selflessness and unbelievable defense. He echoed sentiments from Mobley's teammates and the coaching staff, saying he wants to see Mobley grow more vocal this year to call for the ball on offense.

Simplis' praises culminated in his comparison of Mobley to two of the greatest NBA power forwards of all time, Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett and future Hall of Famer Giannis Antetokounmpo.

"I’ve known the kid since high school. He’s been with me since he was at USC. He has that second bounce defensively that KG had. KG is long, athletic and defensively is such a menace. He gets to his second bounce quicker than a lot of players. Evan has that. Like Giannis, Evan can grab and go... Evan also has the toolbox to grab the ball off the rim and initiate the offense and create. I think he’s probably a little bit more skilled and fluid than Giannis. Evan has things that KG can do, but that Giannis doesn’t. Evan also has things that Giannis does and that KG can do. So Evan can be a mold of both of those guys."

Olin Simplis

Mobley has received comparisons to Garnett since his NBA arrival, but what Simlis suggested takes those compliments another level higher. Rather than simply saying Mobley is comparable to two-time MVP Giannis, he said that Mobley is more fluid and skilled than the Bucks legend, doing things that Giannis cannot do.

Mobley's trainer is not alone on the MVP hype train

During the preseason, the newly-introduced halftime crew of Tracy McGrady, Brian Scalabrine and Carmelo Anthony gave the same remarks. McGrady argued Mobley could be in the MVP conversations this season if the Cavs dominate the Eastern Conference standings again, a sentiment both Scalabrine and Anthony shared.

The consensus opinion on Mobley has become clear. He's an MVP-caliber talent, but as all three of the analysts, his trainer, teammates and coaches have said, it will all be decided by Mobley's willingness to be a vocal leader on offense. Head coach Kenny Atkinson included Mobley much more in the offensive system in his first year, raising Mobley's usage rate almost six percentage points. To reach MVP conversations, Mobley must take the next step forward as a confident and definitive leader on the Cavaliers.

With Donovan Mitchell finishing fifth in MVP voting both of the last two seasons, the conversation around Evan Mobley entering that voting pool is the greatest possible development the Cleveland Cavaliers could have predicted this offseason. The excitement around Mobley is no longer a "what if" regarding his offense. Just like his defense during his rookie season, the path forward is doubling down on all that already makes his offense great.