For years, the Cleveland Cavaliers and their fans have wanted Evan Mobley to step up. He's nearly the same player he was when he entered the league, both in terms of his game and his body, and that's frustrating at times.
Of course, he had a Defensive Player of the Year season, and he kind of expanded his shooting range, but again, it often feels like his development has stalled. There might be another layer to his game, but we may never see it.
If that's going to be the case, then Mobley must do what he did in Game 4 vs. the Detroit Pistons. He has to dominate on the defensive end of the floor, even if that means not being as aggressive as a scorer.
Evan Mobley needs to focus on being a lockdown defender
Mobley had three steals and five blocks in the win over the Pistons. Per Basketball Reference, only five other players have reached those numbers in a playoff game: David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green.
All of those guys are in the Hall of Fame or will be first-ballot inductees, so that's clearly a pretty good club to join. Mobley did drop 17 points, which is respectable, but that's not even why his team needs him on the court.
Perhaps it's time to temper expectations with Mobley and realize that, as much as he clearly has the potential to be an elite two-way guy, he might be better off going all-out on defense and focusing on that side of the glass.
Mobley has the length, lateral quickness, and size to be a lockdown defender and guard one through five; we've seen him do that. Maybe the team will be better off by running fewer designed touches for him and letting him use all of his energy as a stopper.
Of course, he can still shoot the rock every here and there, and he should be able to score some putbacks and easy layups. But sometimes, it's better to be one of the best in the league at one thing instead of being good at both.
Rudy Gobert has evolved and adapted his game, so he's no longer a liability in the playoffs. He's one of the greatest defensive players of all time, and no one realistically expects him to drop 20 points per game. Maybe that's a better blueprint for an uber-talented young man who has often left plenty to be desired when he's been asked to be "the man."
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