Evan Mobley - the next great NBA big man?

NRSV · Post #1 » by **NRSV** » Sat Oct 30, 2021 6:12 am

- advanced positional understanding
- signs pointing to an all-NBA defender with ability to guard perimeter as well as protect the rim.
- good shooting form out to 3PT range.
- bangs in the paint despite slight build. gets nasty.
- big hands, showing soft touch.

Is Mobley the next great NBA big man? we know the Bosh comparisons were strong coming into the league. I'm beginning to wonder if Garnett/Duncan comparisons (which may be sacrilege) are more appropriate given the defensive aptitude and versatility on that end.

Are some of us jumping the gun here or is the HOF upside real?

LukaTheGOAT · Post #2 » by **LukaTheGOAT** » Sat Oct 30, 2021 7:19 am

HOF upside is easily there, that is completely fair. He can be a perennial all-star every year just based off his defense, and of course he has offensive capabilities.

Dr Positivity · Post #3 » by **Dr Positivity** » Sat Oct 30, 2021 8:56 pm

He has clear all star potential but it's too early to say that means Duncan/KG instead of a Bosh/LMA/Brand level career, i think young Davis was clearly more talented.

yoyoboy · Post #4 » by **yoyoboy** » Sat Oct 30, 2021 9:57 pm

Dr Positivity wrote:He has clear all star potential but it's too early to say that means Duncan/KG instead of a Bosh/LMA/Brand level career, i think young Davis was clearly more talented.

From a physical standpoint, no question. Few players in NBA history are more freakish than AD. But Mobley at just a few games into his NBA career already has superior instincts and basketball IQ to Davis a decade into his career imo.

AussieBuck · Post #5 » by **AussieBuck** » Sat Oct 30, 2021 11:24 pm

Ballerhogger · Post #6 » by **Ballerhogger** » Sun Oct 31, 2021 3:39 pm

He can be All star he has the tools .

NRSV · Post #7 » by **NRSV** » Tue Nov 30, 2021 9:27 pm

Bumping this.

His defensive presence is becoming more obvious with each game.

GSP · Post #8 » by **GSP** » Thu Apr 27, 2023 12:48 am

Next Bam Adebayo

Generational defender. Mid offensive player and kills your teams spacing too.

Post #9 » by **tsherkin** » Thu Apr 27, 2023 12:45 pm

He's got tools. Doesn't look like a killer on offense. Needs to learn how to hit FTs. Needs to be more involved in the offense before anyone can really look at his actual shooting touch. He doesn't shoot away from the key very much (and indeed, 40% of his shots are basically in the RA). 194 3PA in, he can't make them at a competent percentage, but time will tell on that front. He may develop as his career progresses, especially if it is made an emphasis point.

The next "great" NBA big man seems perhaps a little generous, but he certainly does look like he'll be a high-end defender who knows how to fit into the team's offensive scheme. How far he goes will come down to skill development, I guess. Certainly a good pick.

kendogg · Post #10 » by **kendogg** » Fri Apr 28, 2023 1:42 pm

Didn't make much of a 2nd year leap, but still has superstar potential. Maybe the first round loss will motivate him. He has a lot of work to do to polish his offensive game. His defense is already good, but I think working on improving his core strength will help him as a post defender and rim protector. It's also sort of hard to judge his defensive impact separate from Allen but clearly Mobley has good instincts and timing. Cavs have a super young core, so if they can stay together and have the hunger to work on their game, they will be a force in the East, and perhaps seeing the efforts his teammates put in will motivate him to put more time in the gym.

Post #11 » by **tsherkin** » Fri Apr 28, 2023 3:26 pm

kendogg wrote:Didn't make much of a 2nd year leap,

Bigs often take a while longer. And he isn't exactly being fed scoring possessions with scheme support, so his offensive development will likely take a while, whatever of it occurs.

parsnips33 · Post #12 » by **parsnips33** » Fri Apr 28, 2023 4:24 pm

Am I crazy for liking JJJ better?

3toheadmelo · Post #13 » by **3toheadmelo** » Fri Apr 28, 2023 4:30 pm

parsnips33 wrote:Am I crazy for liking JJJ better?

not at all

Post #14 » by **nate33** » Fri Apr 28, 2023 6:50 pm

I'm still buying Mobley stock. I thought he looked a lot better on offense this year, even if the numbers didn't really back it up convincingly. On defense he looked absolutely fantastic for a 2nd year player. I'm also growing more optimistic that he can continue to add strength to his frame. He will eventually fill out enough to move to full-time center, and when he does, he will go from being a slight hindrance to offensive spacing to a a big improvement.

His ceiling is still Kevin Garnett. I don't know if he'll get there, but what he has shown so far hasn't ruled it out, and that's saying something.

TheLand13 · Post #15 » by **TheLand13** » Sat Apr 29, 2023 2:27 am

I’m curious as to how many people claiming he didn’t make much of a leap this year offensively actually watched his games and aren’t just going off box score numbers. If you paid any attention to him in both seasons, you would agree that him not making much of a leap offensively is pretty absurd to claim.

GSP · Post #16 » by **GSP** » Fri Dec 1, 2023 5:46 am

Do ppl still expect him to be next great big?

We got Wemby and Chet looking like the next great big men................Mobley is good..............but hes not that. Far from it. His overhyped potential as a superstar will be forgotten soon......

Cavsfansince84 · Post #17 » by **Cavsfansince84** » Fri Dec 1, 2023 6:11 am

GSP wrote:Do ppl still expect him to be next great big?

We got Wemby and Chet looking like the next great big men................Mobley is good..............but hes not that. Far from it. His overhyped potential as a superstar will be forgotten soon......

Well its not really fair to compare Chet and Wemby to Mobley since every adv he has over them can just be waved away as 'he's in his 3rd year and they are only rookies'. So I'm not even gonna go there but Mobley imo can still be a really good player which matters more to me than the whole idea of being a superstar which is more media related. Let guys like Beal, Lavine and Zion be superstars who never win anything while I'd rather have Mobley on my team.

Eagle4 · Post #18 » by **Eagle4** » Fri Dec 1, 2023 7:44 am

People were clamoring for Mobley like was going to be the next Duncan when in reality there's no guarantee he turns out better than current Bam Adebayo. As usual people need to pump the brakes with young prospects.

The Master · Post #19 » by **The Master** » Fri Dec 1, 2023 10:18 am

Eagle4 wrote:People were clamoring for Mobley like was going to be the next Duncan when in reality there's no guarantee he turns out better than current Bam Adebayo. As usual people need to pump the brakes with young prospects.

Yes and no.

I mean, yeah, we mostly assume the best case/great case scenario when looking for young guys that are exciting, so some of them will flop badly eventually, this is how it works.

Mobley didn't improve offensively since his rookie season that much (he's still a role player on offense without a legit jumpshot) - and that's like below average development for a top pick that is actually pretty great as a rookie.

I don't think his lack of development changes a posteriori that he was a great prospect two years ago: great defender on decent team, legit offensive upside, this is rare for a 19-20yo rookie.

Right now, yeah, he looks like Bam Adebayo in the making at best. It would be still pretty fantastic 3rd-pick worthy career though.

HeartBreakKid · Post #20 » by **HeartBreakKid** » Fri Dec 1, 2023 10:49 am

He anchored the top defense in the league. I think people are stressing a bit on his scoring, his scoring was never supposed to be anything that special.

Can still be a great big man even if he's not Chet/Wembley tier (who is?). I wouldn't say Alounzo Mourning or Dikembe Mutumbo were not great big men just because their careers overlapped with David Robinson and O'Neal.