The Cleveland Cavaliers need Evan Mobley to improve his three-point shot. Up to this point in his career, though he’s made marginal improvements, he’s not quite the reliable three-point shooter the Cavs might want him to be. But if he can get to that point, it would open up the floor for more Jarrett Allen pick-and-rolls, and that’s something Cleveland should want.
Even if Mobley doesn’t thrive from behind the three-point line, the Cavs can run Allen PnRs. Mobley can just play in the dunker spot. But having Mobley be a legitimate three-point threat, spacing to the corner, would just open up even more space for Allen to work with whatever ball-handler he’s running the action with.
That’s what the Cavs should want. Obviously, Mobley improving as a three-point shooter would help the Cavaliers in plenty of other ways, too, but it would also allow them to run more Allen PnRs.
An improved Evan Mobley three-point shot can help Jarrett Allen run more PnRs
Up until last season, Mobley had made some significant improvements as a three-point shooter. He got himself up to 37% from deep range on over three attempts per contest.
Unfortunately, last season, he took a step back. After shooting around 37% for the previous two seasons, Mobley dipped back down to just 29.7% from distance on 3.2 attempts.
It was a serious step back, unfortunately proving that Mobley still isn’t the reliable three-point shooter he potentially could be. The shooter that could allow Allen to run even more pick-and-rolls.
Of the 28 players who ran at least two pick-and-rolls per game as the screener, Allen ranked 10th in points per possession at 1.14. Not incredible, but good enough to warrant more looks.
And perhaps Mobley’s improved three-point shot does have a correlation. Because in the 2024-25 season, when Mobley was shooting 37% from deep, Allen averaged 1.31 points per possession in the PnR – the No. 1 player among all 37 guys who ran at least two per game.
Plus, now he’ll have James Harden to work with for the entirety of next season. Harden has been one of the best pick-and-roll ball-handlers in the NBA for a decade now.
If Harden and Allen can work together more consistently, increasing the number of pick-and-rolls for Allen on a game-to-game basis, it would be good for the Cavaliers.
And Mobley improving as a three-point shooter would be very helpful in that endeavor, as he would be able to space the floor better for the action to work well.
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