Evan Mobley’s breakthrough season is paying off with an All-Star selection as he has helped the Cleveland Cavaliers be the top team in the East. It’s now his responsibility to get to the All-Star Game every year until his body slows down because he can be one of the most dominant players in the league.
In year four, he is one of five players averaging at least 18 points, nine rebounds, and 39 percent shooting from deep. The others on the list are Nikola Jokić, Domantas Sabonis, Karl-Anthony Towns and Nikola Vučević.
Mobley is an immensely talented athlete with a high basketball IQ. His numbers are good enough, but they could be so much better if he was playing more than 30 minutes a game, yet that’s not something the Cavaliers need right now. This season, his jump has been in part because he is more fluid near the rim plus is a dependable outside shooter now, making 39.1 percent of attempted threes. On top of that, he initiates more offense by taking the ball up the floor or setting a screen or handoff in the half-court. He is so versatile that coach Kenny Atkinson calls him a “wing-big.”
All his tools were on full display in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ win over the Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 7. He had a career-high of 41 points on 69.6 percent shooting on attempts from short and long range. After that game, coach Kenny Atkinson said, “We’ve been really pushing him to hit the [3-pointer]…” Atkinson also added that Mobley is desperate to get better.
Games like the one in Charlotte preview what he will be doing consistently in the future. There are zero doubts about it because of how good he is at age 23 and how there’s still room for more.
Evan Mobley can continue to improve
Playmaking is an area he should keep working on in the lab. One way to do it is for him to keep sharpening his post moves and going to it more than 1.3 times per game. Back-to-the-basket action creates the most spacing because opponents are usually bad at guarding the post and send help quickly. Mobley could punish defenses because he’s a good passer, and his size gives him an advantage. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him average five dimes nightly in the future. He’s only recorded at least five or more assists seven times this season.
He is almost unguardable on face-up moves, but Mobley still needs to get stronger so his offense can match his omnipresent defense . When he develops heavyweight power, he’ll become the team‘s best player. Don’t be surprised if he is an MVP candidate one day because of the pressure he’s putting on coverages. Only the elite defenders can bother him now.
He made improvements to his free-throw shooting this season as well, but 75 percent accuracy is not good enough. Eighty percent and higher should be the goal in the future. To boot, his hook shot is not dependable enough, dropping only on 43.1 percent of attempts.
Just because he hasn’t become proficient in all areas doesn’t mean he is far behind. He’s actually right on schedule, considering that big men take longer to develop than smaller players. Capital City Go head coach Cody Toppert spoke on this matter for Spencer Davies’ Basketball News article in 2021.
He was quoted as saying, “They can almost impose their will on the game, as opposed to reading the game -- two entirely separate schools of thought. And so essentially, the bottom line is when you get to a level where you can no longer do those things, now you're gonna be forced to actually learn the game…”
This is only the beginning for Mobley. When you combine him with the Cavaliers' top-shelf talent, it’s difficult to imagine them not being a perennial powerhouse if health allows it and the front office manages the assets correctly.