Evan Mobley: 2023 All Defensive 1st Team

[foucault87]

NBA execs poll: Luka Doncic top player to build around; Evan Mobley voted ahead of Zion Williamson

In September of 2020, HoopsHype polled 15 NBA talent evaluators and asked them to rank their top five Under 25 players to build around. We have repeated the exercise with 17 NBA executives this tim…

hoopshype.com

The list goes:
1. Luka
2. Tatum
3. Ja
4. LaMelo
5. Trae Young
6. Mobley

I think Luka and Ja are the only two that are 100% ahead of Mobley at the moment.

This list is fucking garbage. Why is Tatum 2? Tatum should be somewhere near Ant. SGA is way too high. Mobley is AT WORST 4 (Luka, Ja, Melo). Garland needs to be on this list - above Ayton probably. Why is MPJ here? I think they interviewed the sales departments.

 

[Nphan]

I love Mobley and there are very few I would trade him for, but I feel like watching people's head's explode. So, lets say we drafted Cunningham (who is killing it over the last 6 weeks - 18 pts & 6 assists, on 45%, 40% from 3), and had Cunningham at the 3 (on D), Laurie at the 4, Okoro at the 2, and Garland at the 1. Are we better or worse? Laurie is a downgrade from Mobley, but he's better at the 4 than the 3. Cunningham is better than Laurie on the wing. In theory it creates even more room for Allen and Garland to operate. We now have serious 3 point threats at 3 of the 5 positions and an alternate ball handler/initiator in Cunningham to spell Garland. We will never know of course, but that could be a very strong, very flexible, roster moving forward. Better on O, but worse on D.

At least 10 games worst. Cade is ball dominant so he will stunt Garlands growth to what he is today. Same thing when Garland played with Sexton. Also we will be way worst defensively because Mobley biggest impact is a big who can switch onto guards from the 3 point line to the hoop. Lauri would not be able to do this and our defense will suffer. Honestly not too many bigs can do what Mobley does physically and mentally to guards. He put that fear of being blocked into them.

 

[Alec]

This list is fucking garbage. Why is Tatum 2? Tatum should be somewhere near Ant. SGA is way too high. Mobley is AT WORST 4 (Luka, Ja, Melo). Garland needs to be on this list - above Ayton probably. Why is MPJ here? I think they interviewed the sales departments.

1. We can’t be sure the execs were being honest.
2. We can’t be sure these execs were execs of consequence. There’s a ton of NBA executives that won’t have their fingerprints over any personnel moves.
3. Just because somebody works for an NBA team doesn’t mean they know what they’re doing. Sports are full of nepotism just like any other business. Perhaps worse than others because many billionaires own teams, yet have no idea how to run a team or identity talent to run a team. Pro Sports Teams are often just ostentatious status symbols.

 

[Lee]

Mobley is great - potential Hall of Fame great. But, just to stir the pot a bit - Mobley is flourishing on a team with an All-star point guard that gets the ball to him and an All-Star center that does a lot of the dirty work for him. Because of the construction of our team, he's allowed to be great at what he's great at. Its very unusual to be a top 3 pottery pick and come into this good of a situation. Put Mobley in crappy Detroit (without a surging Cunningham) or Houston and he does not look this good. Also, when talking about championship potential, it is very rare over the last 30 years that a championship team is led by a non-ball handler - I can think of the Spurs with Duncan and the Mavs with Dirk. There is the possibility that in a series a great defensive team can game plan and scheme him out of dominance.

Mobley would be scoring more in Detroit. Grant is looking good and so is Saddiq, but they arent as deep. It wouldnt be a great fit because they would have 3 forwards to start and no true center. Also Mobley would probably be averaging close to 10 rebs.

His defense would be hurt and his shooting percentage as he wouldnt have as much help setting up his shots/. But I thought coming into the season Mobley was the best prospect maybe for several seasons and would be doing very, very well in Detroit too.

I am just glad they too Cunningham and Mobley fell to the cavs to be honest.

 

[Randolphkeys]

People have entirely missed the original post that started this discussion and just carried it into something it wasn't initially. What's new.

A certain handful of posters who can't discuss the Cavs without framing it as a hypothetical trade is quite new. It wasn't allowed up until last year.

Staff would mass delete the conversation. It's incredibly labor intensive for a group of adults who should be able to follow a few sub-topics easily.

Good question!

 

[Lee]

This list is fucking garbage. Why is Tatum 2? Tatum should be somewhere near Ant. SGA is way too high. Mobley is AT WORST 4 (Luka, Ja, Melo). Garland needs to be on this list - above Ayton probably. Why is MPJ here? I think they interviewed the sales departments.

Literally the 5 in order i guessed. None are rookies, which shows they have been performing longer. Tatum is in his 5th year, averaging over 10 more points, .5 more rebounds (from SF) almost 4 assists a game, down this year in shooting, but career near 40%. I am not sure what your problem wit Tatum is.

If the list is garbage, why are you only arguing 2 people. I hate Trae's game too, but the stats are amazing, just not sure i love him. But Tatum belongs there, but he has had 5 years to develop,. Mobley is only in his rookie year, give the kid time.

The fact he is as high as he is only half a year into the list and he is already 6th shows how well thought of around the league Mobley is. You take it as an insult for some reason, its a huge compliment. They next rookie is way down at 13th, and in the end Cade might end up better than most on the list. Chill.

 

[cavsfever]

Mobley needs to work on his 3 pointer. He’s 0-7 on 3s in his last 10 games, 1-11 in his last 15 games. He’s not making them and he’s not shooting them (averaging well under one attempt per game). It’s like he’s forgotten it’s an option. He is so long and such a graceful shooter it should be more of a weapon for him, and it would make scoring easier and open things up for him on the offensive end so he doesn’t have to work so hard

Might be something that needs to wait for the off season, as he’s got his hands full with his current burden it seems like.

 

[Rich]

It's remarkable how people took that list and the discussion that followed as a slight of Evan Mobley.


That is a list of the top 15 most valuable players under 25. Or, the way the list words it, the top 15 players under 25 you'd want to build a team around. 6 of one half-a-dozen of the other.

Evan is sixth.


There isn't one other player from his class in that top 15.

He's ahead of players like: Zion Williamson, Jamaal Murray, DeAndre Ayton, Bam Adebayo, SGA, and Anthony Edwards.


Personally, I'd have Evan 3rd. I'd have him ahead of Ja Morant, a legitimate MVP candidate this year, who, at this point, might be the favorite all things considered.

Somehow, that's a slight, even though he's only 40 games into his career?

Calm down, guys.

 

[foucault87]

Literally the 5 in order i guessed. None are rookies, which shows they have been performing longer. Tatum is in his 5th year, averaging over 10 more points, .5 more rebounds (from SF) almost 4 assists a game, down this year in shooting, but career near 40%. I am not sure what your problem wit Tatum is.

If the list is garbage, why are you only arguing 2 people. I hate Trae's game too, but the stats are amazing, just not sure i love him. But Tatum belongs there, but he has had 5 years to develop,. Mobley is only in his rookie year, give the kid time.

The fact he is as high as he is only half a year into the list and he is already 6th shows how well thought of around the league Mobley is. You take it as an insult for some reason, its a huge compliment. They next rookie is way down at 13th, and in the end Cade might end up better than most on the list. Chill.

I have an irrational hatred for the Boston Celtics. Thats really about 80% of it.

But I do think Tatum has a few problems with his game, namely his lack of shot creation for others and his bad shot selection. The gap between him and Ingram is not as far as people think, but it is there. I would comfortably start my franchise around Trae or the rest of the top 5 over him. Tatum over Ja I think was the most egregious.

 

[foucault87]

I am also still a bit mad at Tatum for whiffing the game winner against NC State back in 2017...although that might have been Grayson's fault. That game was a few years ago

 

[Lee]

I have an irrational hatred for the Boston Celtics. Thats really about 80% of it.

But I do think Tatum has a few problems with his game, namely his lack of shot creation for others and his bad shot selection. The gap between him and Ingram is not as far as people think, but it is there. I would comfortably start my franchise around Trae or the rest of the top 5 over him. Tatum over Ja I think was the most egregious.

What is crazy is Ja and LeMelo are top 5 on the list (which i agree with) but Garland isnt that far off, especially how he is playing lately. Give it another year or two and Mobley is top 3 if not #1 and Garland makes the top 15.

 

[foucault87]

What is crazy is Ja and LeMelo are top 5 on the list (which i agree with) but Garland isnt that far off, especially how he is playing lately. Give it another year or two and Mobley is top 3 if not #1 and Garland makes the top 15.

I am fairly certain he should be on it now. I think the gap between Murray and Darius is virtually non-existent at this point. One of them just happens to play in a market, that while small, is not Cleveland and therefore gets more media love. MPJ anywhere above like 30 on a list like this terrifies me. The injury risk is just way too real

 

[Lee]

I am fairly certain he should be on it now. I think the gap between Murray and Darius is virtually non-existent at this point. One of them just happens to play in a market, that while small, is not Cleveland and therefore gets more media love. MPJ anywhere above like 30 on a list like this terrifies me. The injury risk is just way too real

Jamal or Dejounte Murray? I think Jamal is more like Sexton, I have never seen him as a true pg and wouldnt trade Garland for him straight up and is a bit over rated imo. Dejonte just turned 25 and while I wouldnt trade Garland for him, I find Dejonte to be under rated and would trade any not in our top 3 for him because I think he would be dynamic with our other big 3.

I am assuming Jamal though, which i agree with you on.

 

[foucault87]

Jamal or Dejounte Murray? I think Jamal is more like Sexton, I have never seen him as a true pg and wouldnt trade Garland for him straight up and is a bit over rated imo. Dejonte just turned 25 and while I wouldnt trade Garland for him, I find Dejonte to be under rated and would trade any not in our top 3 for him because I think he would be dynamic with our other big 3.

I am assuming Jamal though, which i agree with you on.

Jamal who is like 11 or 12 on that list. Jamal is a bigger Sexton in many ways. His big pull is how great he has been in the playoffs (increasing volume and efficiency which is super rare). I think Garland is better than him right now and I am a huge fan of playoff Murray.

Agree with Dejonte. I actually think he would be perfect in the backcourt with Darius.

 

[Lee]

Jamal who is like 11 or 12 on that list. Jamal is a bigger Sexton in many ways. His big pull is how great he has been in the playoffs (increasing volume and efficiency which is super rare). I think Garland is better than him right now and I am a huge fan of playoff Murray.

Agree with Dejonte. I actually think he would be perfect in the backcourt with Darius.

I like Jamal, but his playoff performance needs to be repeated a bit more for me to believe its consistentif that happens i see it.

And agree about Dejonte, he might not be quote perfect, but he would be really damn good. Maybe Booker is perfect next too Darius, but never happening, lol.