2021 NBA Draft Safari

I don’t understand “Mobley doesn’t move like AD”. I feel like it’s pretty obvious he moves better? Definitely quicker and more agile. IDK maybe i’m too hype.

Henry Tuttle said:

I don’t understand “Mobley doesn’t move like AD”. I feel like it’s pretty obvious he moves better? Definitely quicker and more agile. IDK maybe i’m too hype.

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Gotta disagree with you. Davis was getting Bill Russell comparisons at the time. Mobley’s agility is amazing, but he still looks like a big out there at the end of the day, whereas Davis moves like an oversized wing. On the previous page, just watch Davis from 7:00 to 8:00. Probably not even the best example in the video, because it was just a random point I clicked on. AD’s fluidity, flexibility, and quickness off the ground are hard to match. He just seemed everywhere out there on the floor with how much vertical and horizontal space he could cover.

But Mobley is a better playmaker with better shooting potential imo.

I'mWithDan said:

As I have said in the past, he is the most like AD in recent memory.

AD is just far and away the best defensive college prospect I can personally remember.

While Mobley is not a truly elite defensive prospect he is at least close and Mobley does have more distinct edges over AD offensively.

He shot at higher volume, he had more scoring volume, he showed more potential as a 3PT shooter in college, (to me) he is a much more mechanically sound shooter, he had double the AST%.

Mobley is more like a Nerlins Noel type on defense but I do believe his offensive ceiling is a touch higher than AD...just as a more dynamic guy on that end. I don't know that he gets there but I honestly think the apex of Mobley is that of someone you could run your offense through. Davis is a very effective offensive player but he (to me) falls a notch below all of the more transcendent players at the forward / center position.

I think AD is a far safer bet to be the better NBA player but I can envision a world where Mobley is 85-90% of the defender AD is but then is a more dynamic offensive player. Everything needs to go right in that scenario but it at least seems plausible to me.

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Do you have Mobley ahead of where JJJ was as a prospect? Jaren Jackson had a huge youth advantage going for him, better shooting potential, and more bulk, but obviously he was foul prone even in college and didn’t have Mobley’s passing ability. I’m really disappointed in how Jackson Jr has turned out given how promising he was. He just hasn’t seemed to improve and obviously injuries haven’t helped.

All4One1ForAll said:

Do you have Mobley ahead of where JJJ was as a prospect? Jaren Jackson had a huge youth advantage going for him, better shooting potential, and more bulk, but obviously he was foul prone even in college and didn’t have Mobley’s passing ability. I’m really disappointed in how Jackson Jr has turned out given how promising he was. He just hasn’t seemed to improve and obviously injuries haven’t helped.

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They are in the same ballpark in overall impact.

The differences in their profiles really lay in how much better Mobley was as a passer and also how Mobley was able to be really impactful defensively, without generating an excess of fouls.

Again, I think people may disagree on wether fouls are good or not for defenders but my model sees it as a positive quality that elite NBA bigs tend to have. And in Jackson's case, these /PF metrics didn't love what he did and in the NBA, he has been a far less impactful defender.



If you extend this out to look at the defensive leaderboards on Raptor (last two seasons)......the impactful centers just all scored better than JJJ for example, that actually went on to have plus defensive impact.



This is a bit of what I was chatting with @Out of the Rafters at the Q about, which just makes Mobley so unique to me.

He has a defensive profile that sits around someone like Noel but he has an offensive profile that is a touch better than AD.

Typically you see guys sometimes land in Noel's range (in the top 60 or so prospects) but Mobley is really the only guy since AD, who has been considered a top prospect, that has landed in that range in college and NOT been a more one dimensional player.

@I'mWithDan here are per-100 numbers for Hazer in case you want to take a look:


I see him variously listed at 6'3"/6'4"/6'5", so probably 6'3" in socks. Turned 22 February 15th of this year. Will be interesting to see who's better between him and Jaylen Hands, a similar kind of player who's coincidentally almost the exact same age.

I think Mobley can change directions easier than AD could. He does it effortlessly.

What I noticed when I watched him was the blocks he made after it appeared a guy got by him or had overpowered him. Blocks made from a generally losing position. He had really impeccable timing on his shot blocking. much harder to recover in NBA, but also exciting for his future.

He’s going to be a work in progress, but that particular skill strikes me as one you have or don’t have, and he has it. I can’t remember many guys going from poor rim protector to elite shot blocker. For him he just needs to get bigger to where he doesn’t have to do it from a bad position often where he’s recovering.

Bumping this because uhh what is going on!



Doesn't look like a higher release to me, looks like there's just a hitch and his legs/upper body look disjointed.

howler1313 said:

Bumping this because uhh what is going on!



Doesn't look like a higher release to me, looks like there's just a hitch and his legs/upper body look disjointed.

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Cade shoots the ball from in front of his face which obstructs his view of the basket. It’s awfully to be a good shooter with that form & release.

Detroit had better be watching for potential leg stress-fractures while Beilein coaches up Cade.

Cade shoots like that because he lacks leg strength and never uses his legs. Personally its a brave team that messes with their rookies only clear cut strength. If they set back his shooting this season he is going to get his confidence destroyed and become the diet coke of markel fultz

Oh, so it begins.

Smart to completely readjust his one huge strength, which already made him a really good shooter. Very smart.

Didn't curry completely rework his shot from college to the pros?

I’m a huge fan of Keisei Tominaga. He’s from Japan and recently transferred to Nebraska under Fred Hoilberg and I’ve watched him since high school where he put up 50-60 points in many games. Keisei is one of the best shooters I’ve seen and he can shoot from Dame/Curry range and he has a really good step back 3 that Harden does so well. No one really knows him yet but I’m sure his stock will rise this year.