The 2021 NBA Draft Class was widely regarded as one of the best batches of young talent in recent history, and perhaps the best draft class since the stacked class of 2009, which included players the likes of Stephen Curry, James Harden and Blake Griffin.
Despite everyone singing the praises of this draft class, there seemed to be little to no debate about who the best player in the class was, Cade Cunningham was almost unanimously regarded as the best prospect in the class.
I was one of the few who chose to disagree with that notion. I put Evan Mobley as the clear #1 player on my big board, and I did so with little hesitation. It wasn't that I was low on Cunningham, I was just in awe of Mobley's combination of size, skill and versatility.
NBA executives didn't seem to agree with me, as the Pistons selected Cade with the #1 overall pick. Heck, Evan Mobley didn't even go second, as the Rockets chose to select Jalen Green. (Eh.., I am still in disbelief on that one)
In spite of my evaluation of Mobley, I did think there would be some early career struggles for him due to his slender frame and lack of upper body strength. I also thought the fit with Jarret Allen was a non-deal one and that it would present some spacing challenges for Mobley on the offensive end.
Most of my concerns translated to Vegas Summer League, where the Cavaliers played another "big" beside Mobley for a majority of his minutes, and as a direct product of that Evan averaged 11.3 points on a woeful 37 TS%. Now, some of these struggles were due to the lack of structure in summer league play, but Evan was also clearly having difficulty adjusting to the increased physicality of grown men.
Fast forward 14 games into the regular season, and the golden child that is Evan Mobley has already figured out how to play a new position, and has been nothing short of sensational. Not only is he the runaway ROY so far, averaging 15.6 points on +4rTS%, 7.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, but his play has propelled the Cavaliers to a 9-5 record. Evan Mobley has the Cleveland Cavaliers as the four seed in the Eastern Conference!!
Although his box score numbers look great, it doesn't capture his biggest area of impact, his mesmerizing defense. Young big men (even the most special defensive prospects) usually suck on defense in the early going, due to a lack of experience and adjustment to the skill curve of the NBA. However, Evan Mobley is a unicorn, so rules don't to apply to him.
14 games into his young career, Evan Mobley leads the league in total two point shots contested with 148 (17 ahead of reigning DPOY Rudy Gobert), and is second in the league in total three pointers contested. This gives Mobley a contested shots total of 209, an astounding 49 shots ahead of second place Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Perhaps, the more remarkable part is that he is doing all this whilst only averaging 2.1 personal fouls per game. That gives Evan a shots contested:fouls ratio of 7.5 to 1.
We have seen numerous highly regarded defensive prospects such as Jaren Jackson Jr. have their defensive impact muted due to foul trouble in their early years, but Mobley has a otherworldly understanding of timing and verticality that allows him to avoid cheap fouls.
Mobley also doesn't suffer from something I call the Hassan Whiteside syndrome, essentially selling out for a spectacular defensive play that takes you completely out of position, Here, Mobley stiffles four Denver scoring attempts in the span of 20 seconds:
But the thing that truly makes Mobley so appealing as a defensive prospect is his ability to switch 1 through 5.
Yes, that is a 7 footer at the top of a 3-2 zone, mirroring Trae Young step for step, leading him into help and blocking the shot anyways for good measure.
Nevertheless, for all his smart and savvy defensive genius, once in a while Evan Mobley reminds you that he is an athletic marvel.
THAT is simply unfair. That block is so freakish that the referee was left no choice but to call a goaltend, because humans aren't supposed to be physically capable of that. Upon further review however, it is abundantly clear that Mobley somehow got to the ball before it even left Tatum's hand.
All this defensive brilliance results in Cleveland having a 103 DRTG with Mobley on the floor (the fourth best defense in the league this season), which is a significant step up from the 109 DRTG they record when he hits the bench. Those numbers only become more unbelievable when you consider that his team starts Darius Garland, Collin Sexton and Lauri Markkanen alongside him.
Mobley also ranks third in the entire league in defensive EPM of players who play upwards of 25 minutes per game, giving him a legitimate chance at an all-defensive selection and probably making him the best defensive rookie since Tim Duncan.
On the offensive end of the floor, Mobley's most advanced skill is his passing. He is extremely potent and making the right pass, and his passing has made the Snug Pick-and-Roll a staple in Cleveland's offense.
Mobley also has a feel for when to throw the lob out of this action:
Now, I don't think that Mobley will ever able to be an offensive hub like Nikola Jokic, few big men who ever lived have or ever will reach that level. But his passing IQ and delivery is advanced enough for him to be running snug PnR and High-Low actions. He also isn't a robotic passer, if a read out of a set play isn't there he has the ability to audible out of it and make a play off instinct, which is levels above most big men in the league already.
Mobley's best source of scoring is generated by his teammates, where Mobley acts as a vertical spacer and absolutely punches everything that is thrown his way, converting on 75% of his shots within 0-3 feet
However, what separates Mobley from someone like Rudy Gobert on the offensive end is that he flashes the ability to fluidly dribble into pullup midrangers and fadeaways, even if the efficiency isn't quite there yet. (39% in the floater range and 46% on long two's on minimal volume)
The three point shot is still a work in progress, although 33% on 1.7 attempts per game is totally respectable for a guy who projects as a full-time center. The shot looks good and I am confident that one day he will be able to dribble into some pullups from downtown with regularity.
Now, even if I made it sound like he is, I understand that Evan Mobley is far from perfect. He still is adjusting to the craftiness of the NBA's elite.
(Your daily reminder that Ja Morant is awesome)
And his screen setting leaves a lot to be desired,
And of course he still struggles with some physicality issues against the brutes of the center position.
But the point is that I was the biggest Evan Mobley fan you could find, and he has blown all my expectations for him out the water.
He was my favorite prospect ever and my jaw still hits the floor every time I watch him play.
His every movement reminds me of Kevin Garnett.
It's truly scary what the future holds for a guy with his skillset, his feel for the game, his physical tools and now the floor he is building upon.
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