Even though he's not the leading scorer or the most vocal player on the team, Evan Mobley is, at times, the Cleveland Cavaliers' most important player. He's the ultimate X-Factor, and he has the ability to be a game-wrecker on both ends of the floor.
That's also why the team suffers so much when he's not at his best. He's crucial to what they do on both ends of the floor, and while he's not the main pillar, having a shaky foundation can doom any championship contender.
Considering that, Kenny Atkinson and the Cavs' assistant coaches need to get in the gym with Mobley. He's not knocking down his free throws, and that's a worrisome trend that could come back to haunt this team when it matters the most.
Cavaliers desperately need Evan Mobley to work on his free throws
Mobley's free-throw shooting has regressed tremendously this season. He is shooting just 49.1 percent from the charity stripe for the month of March, and that dragged his season-long average to just 60.2 percent, the worst mark of his five-year career.
While he's never been an elite free-throw shooter, Mobley's averages actually improved every year. He went from 66.3 percent as a rookie to a career-best 72.5 percent last season, so this is somewhat strange.
Granted, he's still making the second-most free throws per game of his career (2.8 after a career-best 3.1 last season). He's also taking his most trips to the line (4.6), but that still doesn't explain his struggles.
Mobley has expanded his range as a shooter, and while his shooting form is far from perfect, he actually has a nice touch for a big man. His struggles might be mental, and he does have a history of tuning out when it matters the most.
That's actually a greater concern. Players and coaches can work on their mechanics as much as they want, but players may not get it together at the free-throw line until they get out of their own heads. Most of the time, that's the primary issue. Even guys like Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard were allegedly great free-throw shooters in practice but struggled mightily in actual games.
The Cavs have an unfortunate, well-documented history of playoff struggles, most of which stem from character issues. Mobley will be instrumental to put those woes behind them, so this team can't afford to have him be a liability on every trip to the line.