Evan Mobley: 2023 All Defensive 1st Team

[Henry Tuttle]

This might be getting into weird, obsessive territory - but you can notice this in the workout tweet and even moreso in this tweet that was posted yesterday. When making a movement Mobley grunts like he's Bruce Lee or something. I've seen this moreso with football players (like WRs making cuts), but it just struck me as kind of rare for a bball player and super polished, like he knows exactly how to focus his energy.

 

[rastamon87]

Garnett's intensity is a lot of what made him so great. If he'd be a Cav we would have loved him.

Loved the intensity, just 'personally' don't like that he tends to cross the line.... Personally prefer the Ben Wallace intensity, quiet but he was so intimidating during his peak....

 

[Ozone]

Doubt Mobley is still growing. People expect a lot of the freaky long prospects who come into the league to still be growing after they enter the league ever since Giannis did. Saw people saying the same thing about Barnes. But the reason Giannis did was because he was just 18.5 when he got drafted. Mobley turned 20 a couple months ago.

But we don’t want Mobley to grow anymore vertically lol. We want him to grow horizontally. Right now he’s about an inch taller than Giannis but he’s like 30 pounds lighter. He’s 40 pounds lighter than Davis, 20 pounds lighter than Bosh, and 25 pounds lighter than Garnett. Even KD is 25 pounds heavier. I think Mobley needs to gain at least 20 pounds to be able to compete physically.

Sure he is far from yoked up but the limbs and legs being so much longer than the average human being make any normal appearances seem underweight. His athletic gifts dont need tampered with in the name of playing in the painr. Now that the Cavs just overpaid Allen and are committed to him, there is next to no chance they see Mobley playing the 5 nor should they. He is at worst rookie Chris Bosh at the 4 if he cleans up his push shots.

 

[mds]

Loved the intensity, just 'personally' don't like that he tends to cross the line.... Personally prefer the Ben Wallace intensity, quiet but he was so intimidating during his peak....

Love Big Ben. Dong Dong.

 

[Cavatt]

This might be getting into weird, obsessive territory - but you can notice this in the workout tweet and even moreso in this tweet that was posted yesterday. When making a movement Mobley grunts like he's Bruce Lee or something. I've seen this moreso with football players (like WRs making cuts), but it just struck me as kind of rare for a bball player and super polished, like he knows exactly how to focus his energy.

I believe it is a kind of echolocation he is using to pinpoint the basket

 

[BigZ94]

I think he will be but I don't think we need him to be.

Okoro ended up starting right away because there really were no other options.With Mobley, Nance is a capable starting PF.

Agreed, but considering Nances’ fragility it’s better for both parties if he has a reduced role off the bench

 

[Alec]

Amateur scouting reports from across the web that I compiled.

June 16, 2018

Other notable measurements at USA Basketball u17's include Isaiah Stewart (6-9 with a 7-4 wingspan), Evan Mobley (6-11.5 with a 7-4 wingspan) & Casey Morsell (6-2 with a 6-9 wingspan).

Nov 30, 2020

Superstar potential, talent to become the new model in the Antony Davis/Kevin Garnett archetype

Dec 1, 2020

low usage, high impact, multi-level big on both sides of the court who can create on his own and for others...he's the #1 guy for me right now and that's saying a lot considering how much I like Green.

he's an absolutely amazing athlete...not explosive, but so effortless, no wasted movements at all and so efficient.

Dec 2, 2020

Amazing prospect.. you can pretty much mold him into any type of big. This guy has scary high upside

Dec 9, 2020

He rebounds well
He protects the rim
He plays good team D
Might not be overly explosive, but damn is he mobile and agile for his size
He passes the ball very well
He has good form on his shot and already showing the 3pt range
He doesnt have to dominate the ball to get his numbers and make an impact
The kid seems to have a great personality and love the game

I want to pump the breaks because it is so early in the season and Im sure as the season goes on some warts will begin to show. But damn what is there not to love with this kid?

December 30, 2020

he's just a brilliant player, his movements are so crisp, nothing wasted, so efficient, very smart on both ends, sophisticated skill set offensively.

there isn't much to pick on honestly, needs to get stronger obviously, improve the FT% and continuing to get better at the nuances like screen setting and rolling, but dude's special.

i'm not making the Tim Duncan comp but if there's another player that deserves The Big Fundemental nickname, it's this dude.

January 29th, 2021

As much as I like JJJ, Mobley's a better prospect because he plays with a higher BBIQ at both ends. 15 years ago, Ayton would have been the best prospect of the 3, but he's not as valuable in today's NBA - which favors Mobley's versatility and lateral quickness.

February 4th, 2021

Not explosive, but everything he does is so smooth with so little wasted motion. Even when he talks to the refs after they blew an obvious call - he's looking totally relaxed when most players would lose their cool. There's an unusual level of maturity there with his coolness.

One thing that did confuse me was why he was standing so far out on the perimeter in some key possessions and too far out to crash the offensive boards. But that's coaching - maybe they wanted him to be back in transition defense.

February 6th, 2021

Mobley should be the #1 pick in 2021 hands down. I think he's just a notch below AD & Embiid as a prospect coming due to their elite physical tools. I compare him to KAT in terms of physical traits and offensive skill but he's a more complete player who can excel defensively as well. I even have to throw out the ridiculous Tim Duncan comparison due to the fact you can't make him play fast and he's always even keeled.

February 12th, 2021

My issue with Mobley continues to be scoring prowess, he has the tools in general just doesn't assert himself enough

February 19th, 2021

This kid is gonna be incredible. He's already an absolute monster on defense. To me, Evan is the undisputed Defensive player of the Pac 12.

February 20th, 2021

I've finally been able to watch Mobley. With the reactions on this thread and twitter, I assumed he'd be a more polished offensive player. He's extremely talented, but raw. He's got great length, but a narrow frame. He lacks strength that becomes evident when he tries defending the post. Quick timing+length will allow him to be a good shotblocker in the NBA. He has the lateral quickness+IQ to defend the perimeter. Defense is where a lot of his potential is coming from.

On offense, he does a good job of slipping screens and moving off-ball. He really likes to attack the basket and makes a living at the FT line from taking advantage of slower bigs who get hand checked or can't keep up with his dribbles/speed. The shooting potential is there based off his 70% FT, but I don't think he's a 3pt threat at this point yet despite his 1.1 attempts. He's much more comfortable in the mid-range. He favors his falling away shot from the spin. He relies on his length and touch for getting his shot off. He plays a bit out of control sometimes when he forces his offense. He puts up a lot of ugly shots and gets bailed out with calls. I don't see a specific go-to offensive move, but as noted earlier, his bread and butter is probably going to be at the FT line where he can initiate contact.

He looks like who Skal Labissiere was supposed to be in college.

I don't see him as a franchise player the same way others here do. I don't think he's a guy you try to build your team around. However, his 2-way ability on both ends can easily make him the 2nd best player on a contending team. I think he'd fit great next to a dynamic scoring guard. He doesn't challenge Cade at #1 for me, but he's still a good prospect. I haven't finished watching the other guys, but he's a top 10 player in ANY draft, and probably a top 5 in this one.

March 29th, 2021

Mobley will help bring the pf position back. I hope he goes to a team with a C

July 5th, 2021

Not worried about his passing ability at all. He can pass on the move, throw lobs, hit cutters, and passes out of double teams well. He was 3rd on USC in assists made which is kind of nuts for a college big with his usage. If his scoring gets to the point where teams have to throw an extra defender at him he becomes even more dangerous offensively.

July 6th, 2021

he is disruptive as a rim protector (although even then its amazing how may college guards you see spinning into the paint right into the guy, lol). regardless he closes on jump shooters really well, moves his feet well to position himself not to foul, and has elite length (even by NBA standards) to get up an contest. what he doesn't do is rebound all that well.

not sure if you've been around long enough, but he reminds me of Hot Rod (who's numbers would be better if he hadn't been on a stacked team). just not convinced Mobley is going to be a significant offensive player. he's a face up big without the handle to initiate, he's not strong enough to work inside and seems to shy away from contact anyway, he does a really nice job passing out of double teams but i'm not sure anyone in the NBA will need to double him. more than most this guy really needs that jumper improvement to be a significant two way player.

on Mobley playing the 4 vs 5:

Mobley is a twig. He's 4" taller than Cade Cunningham, and weighs 5lbs less. He has a very narrow frame, and very long legs, giving him a really high center of gravity. He's never going to be a great low post player.

I'm on the fence of whether he can play the 4, I don't think he could based on college, USC played a lot of zone to hide the fact that he wasn't very good on the perimeter, but that's mostly because his footwork was pretty bad against quicker players. High center of gravity means he needs to get lower, take quick, controlled steps. This is doable but very difficult to learn.

I'm not on the fence about whether he should play the 4 though, the answer is no. His playstyle and advantages are easily most beneficial at the 5, protecting the rim and attacking the basket, paired with more versatile perimeter defenders, shooters, and a primary ball handler that can break down the defense and give him openings to attack.

The biggest reasons you dont want mobley playing the 4, instead of 5, is his arguably best attribute being drop coverage as well as being able to play multiple coverages on D in pnr & his offensive skill set looks worse at pf than C.

Not to say he’d be bad at pf. Hed still be good. But you lose a good amount of value doing that.

I think Mobley's future is at the 5 in the NBA. He may need to start out as a 4 due to his weight but he should definitely be a 5 down the line when his body fills out. While Mobley is a switchable defender, his best defensive trait is shot blocking and I think guarding Centers puts him in a better spot to always be the primary rim protector. I'd rather have him defending the paint than trying to stick to small ball stretch 4s which more teams are beginning to start.

On the offensive end though, his best position is definitely at the 5. His speed, face-up game, and (projectable) good shooting are all skills that will be most useful as a 5. He can take slower centers out of the paint by stretching the floor and also take them off the dribble when facing up. Playing him at the 4 against quicker guys negates a lot of those advantages, and with his high center of gravity I'm worried he'll have difficulty punishing those smaller guys on the low block.

Mobley honestly is in a weird spot relative to the league too. Honestly, it's traditional tweener problems.

I really don't think he's a natural 4, so I say a traditional 5, after years of hard work, focus and dedication. Like many people are hoping, they want Mobley to gain weight because players like Giannis have.

This is where it gets tricky. As we know, Giannis gained 60 lbs. of functional muscle, but it took 8 years of consistent effort and pure discipline. Not many skinny athletes do that, especially the bigs. They simply think they can gain a quick 20-30 pounds after a year or two (or before the draft) and can "bang" inside with the big dogs. This is not what Giannis did. Dude took no shortcuts and made sure every pound added was effective and put to use so that he can throw around bigger players (like Ayton) while blowing by the faster wings (like KD). Again, look at Giannis's character: it's much different from the average NBA player mentally.

If Mobley does that, I think he does fine as a 5 because it'd be a real nice combination with his fluidity for a tall player. However, again, it's a long journey many top picks and high-potential players have failed. In reality, that kind of consistency is difficult to maintain given all the things that may happen along the way. To complicate things, it's a lot more difficult especially now with an erratic season schedule.

I guess my issue is his fit at center. Imo most of his skills are elite for a 7 footer. What happens when he gets matched up with a Pascal Siakam, a Jaylen brown type of player? He’s not strong enough to bump either of these guys and his guard-like skills become negated since they aren’t that fluid attacking wings the way they would be attacking a big man. Even if he has the height on them, a lot of guys can push him out of the paint, get up under him and force him to shoot over them.
Obviously he can have a role and be a star, I just don’t know if I have him at that superstar level everyone else has him on.

IMO this is the biggest concern for any "unicorn" prospect, best exemplified by the OG unicorn: Porzingis. If your center can't punish smaller players in the post, the opposing team has no reason not to play small ball. Another example would be the stretch-5 Myles Turner, who isn't bad in his own right and was the BLK champ, but a stat line of 12.6/6.5/1 would be disappointing for a likely top 3 pick.

Athletic comparisons:

Christian Wood

Taller Chris Bosh

Garrett with narrower shoulders

Evan Mobley just doesn't have a good comparison, so people stretch the least bad ones until they almost look okay. The problem is the AD comp horribly misrepresents everything Mobley does since there's no real similarities outside the very general "versatile combo big" archetype

Is Mobley a "unicorn"?

He shot 30% from 3 and 69% from the line. He can be in the future I guess, but he’s not a unicorn right now. He has no confidence in his shot and usually drives to the rim even if he’s open

No. He projects to be a very useful big man but if he was a true 'unicorn' he would be the undisputed #1 pick. The term unicorn is beginning to lose its meaning imo with the game shifting to more 3pt shooters from all positions.

Nerlens Noel, James wiseman, Marvin Bagley, Bol Bol, Thon Maker, and for different reasons, Naz Reid (remember him).

Here’s the problem: with all those guys, people get so caught up in the handles for a man their size, the coordination, but when you get to the league, especially in today’s game, those are skills you’re never gonna use! Like you see guys in HS 7ft able to dribble full court and you salivate, but you are NEVER going to do that in a game. Even someone as elite unicorn status as possible, Porzingis, saw his game reduced to perimeter shooter.

So that’s the cautionary tale is are you paying attention to things that don’t actually convert to being one of the handful of go-to bigs in today’s game. The odds are NOT in his favor. Of the elite bigs now, Jokic has elite strength, Embiid has elite strength, KAT has elite shooting and even still he’s low key a tweener himself. Dude is 6’11 and still they don’t know if he can play the 5. AD has the anomaly skill set since he grew so late. Can’t realistically expect anyone to be like him. Ayton has size. Adebayo has the passing skills. JJJ the clock is starting to tick. Everyone wondering is he just a role player. Myles Turner? Same, just essentially a center 3&D. Sabonis? Anomaly genes, and he’s strong

And that’s it! That’s the list of above average big men. Where does Mobley fit? Mobley becoming elite, the odds are against him both bc of his own skill set, but also bc of where the game is going

 

[CalBuckeyeRob]

What is impressive from the video is the comfort from long distance. He didn't start taking shots of that length yesterday. He has been practicing for a while and it shows. And guys that do that on their own are guys that feel a personal drive to get better and better. And those type of players often become elite.

 

[bs80]

Not that there was ever any doubt, but there it is.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Amateur scouting reports from across the web that I compiled.

June 16, 2018

Nov 30, 2020

Dec 1, 2020

Dec 2, 2020

Dec 9, 2020

December 30, 2020

January 29th, 2021

February 4th, 2021

February 6th, 2021

February 12th, 2021

February 19th, 2021

February 20th, 2021

March 29th, 2021

July 5th, 2021

July 6th, 2021


on Mobley playing the 4 vs 5:







Athletic comparisons:




Is Mobley a "unicorn"?

Mobley strikes me as exactly the kind of draft pick where character really matters. He's got incredible physical gifts and BBIQ, but it is going to take time and hard work to realize them fully. And if he didn't have his natural humility, or was as concerned about his "brand" as his basketball, he'd be less likely to reach his ceiling. Or if he did reach his potential, he'd be looking to reach it somewhere else.

 

[Man Called X]

Mobley strikes me as exactly the kind of draft pick where character really matters. He's got incredible physical gifts and BBIQ, but it is going to take time and hard work to realize them fully. And if he didn't have his natural humility, or was as concerned about his "brand" as his basketball, he'd be less likely to reach his ceiling. Or if he did reach his potential, he'd be looking to reach it somewhere else.

He's got a Duncan-esque demeanor in a Bosh body.

 

[CavsFanJapan]

He's got a Duncan-esque demeanor in a Bosh body.

The Bigger Fundamental LOL!!

 

[David.]

Dude doesn't have the widest shoulders, not sure how big he can really get. He's not Giannis or dh

 

[Lee]

Dude doesn't have the widest shoulders, not sure how big he can really get. He's not Giannis or dh

Agreed, comparing him Giannis isnt fair. He is a better defender than Bosh, taller and more athletic, but Bosh is the fair comparison for Mobley.

 

[benchplayer]

That 3pt Shot though!