Taking Evan Mobley third overall in 2021 was a no-brainer for the Cleveland Cavaliers. His physical tools, defensive prowess, and promising but undeveloped shooting form made him as 'can't-miss' any top-three prospect in recent years.
Fast forward to today, and while Mobley is clearly a very good basketball player, he hasn't reached that higher echelon of two-way big men the Cavs and the national media hoped for. His development has stalled, with only marginal improvements around the edges.
That's why, after watching him struggle with his free-throw shooting in a close loss to the Orlando Magic, ESPN Cleveland radio host Aaron Goldhammer finally addressed the elephant in the room with Mobley and the Cavs.
Evan Mobley may never fulfill his true potential with the Cavaliers
"I don't want to sit around here and make it sound like I think Evan Mobley stinks, but Evan Mobley is never going to be the best player on this team," Goldhammer said.
The Cavs trusted Mobley with a max contract before he actually proved to be worthy of that type of money. He responded with a Defensive Player of the Year campaign and by somewhat expanding his range, but that was pretty much it.
Of course, that's not to look down on such a major award or on him as a player, but expectations were significantly higher. He has the defensive skills and sweet scoring touch to be as good and dominant as the likes of Anthony Davis or Kevin Garnett, but he repeatedly fails to rise to the occasion.
Whether it's missing free throws in the clutch, getting blown-by by players he'd usually lock down in big moments, or alternating big games with disappearing acts, Mobley simply hasn't been consistent enough to make the team feel like he can truly be a franchise player.
He's by all means the most talented player on the roster, but it takes much more than just talent to thrive in this league. The Cavs front office may have finally come to terms with that, as they clearly pivoted to Donovan Mitchell with the James Harden trade.
This organization has invested way too much in Mobley and hasn't gotten that much in return. He's still young, and he will continue to be this team's X-factor on both ends of the court, but it might be time to tame expectations.
Mobley's numbers are nearly identical now to those of his rookie season. And even though there's much more to the game of basketball than raw numbers, the eye test suggests a similar trend. He's taken baby steps when the Cavs needed him to sprint forward.
He might end up having a long and successful career. Putting up 16 points with eight rebounds a night is much tougher than it seems. However, at this point, expecting much more than that from him might be setting the fans up for disappointment.