Evan Mobley: 2023 All Defensive 1st Team

[ryanf]

Mitchell is 7th all time in playoff PPG at 28.3. I don’t see Mobley overtaking him as the 2nd scoring option. You’d basically be wasting Mitchell’s talents at that point, and I don’t see why he would stick around when his contact is up. Mobley being the third scoring option is perfect for both his game and personality because it allows him to focus on the other aspects of his game (like passing and defense) that he’s frankly much better at than scoring. Mitchell’s entire value derives from his on-ball scoring ability and the pressure he puts on the paint as a penetrator. We didn’t trade for him to make him a tertiary scoring option.

you missed the for now part. mitchell is several years older and his game is based on his athleticism. in 5-6 years, mitchell will lose what makes him effective and by that time, mobley should be #2.

 

[cliffdawg]

Garland is the 1st option. Mitchell is the 2nd option for now until Mobley becomes the 2nd option offensively then Mitchell becomes the 3rd option.

Mobley should never be 1 or 2 option and that not a bad thing…….Mitchell is my 1 option as it should be, that’s your scoring guard…..

 

[Peacedog]

you missed the for now part. mitchell is several years older and his game is based on his athleticism. in 5-6 years, mitchell will lose what makes him effective and by that time, mobley should be #2.

I must have missed the part in your post where you specified this 5-6 year timeframe for your prediction. Was it there?

 

[cavsfever]

I really hope this team doesn't try to force Mobley as an offensive creator this year. One of the best things about acquiring Mitchell to me is honestly that Evan won't be relied upon to be the 2nd leading scorer on the squad or anything. To me, Mobley's most effective as a sort of connective tissue on both ends. On defense, he shouldn't be your last line of defense. Because you don't want him being your biggest rebounder on the floor or banging with centers. But he can be the best help defender in the game at the 4. Just look at how impactful Giannis is defensively next to Lopez. I think a lot of people - mostly outside this fanbase - envision Mobley's long term future at the 5, but I think him next to Allen is actually perfect for his abilities.

And then on offense, this might make people think I'm being pessimistic, but I don't think his future is as a #1 or #2 scoring option. It's not a bad thing in my eyes, because I think very few bigs should fill that role on a championship-level offense. In the modern era, it's just not efficient ball to have non-perimeter guys creating so much, outside of very rare exceptions like Embiid, who's utterly unstoppable in the low post, and Jokic, who's a top 10 passer of all time regardless of position. Even KAT, who's probably the best big man shooter of all time and can pass, might not be an ideal offensive focal point in the playoffs. Giannis doesn't function like a big on offense since he can penetrate and create for himself and others from the perimeter like superstar wings, so I don't count him.

Mobley's young still, but in all likelihood he's not going to be an outlier shooter, passer, or ballhandler, and without the frame to get up to Embiid size of being physically overwhelming, you need to be basically all-time level for a big in 1, maybe even 2, of those facets. Those are things that typically you show very early on. It's going to be the fact that he can be "good" at all of those things while being a big that makes him valuable. I thing Mobley's road to being a top 5 most valuable player in the league ends with him being a high-level Adebayo of sorts. A #3 scoring option on offense who's your #2 playmaker out of the high post. And then maybe the best defender in the game. It would be a waste of what Mobley does excel at to try to force the high scoring output thing. It fits neither his strengths nor his personality, and would honestly hamper his development.

Odd take IMO. Obviously we shouldn’t be trying to make him a 25 ppg scorer by artificially feeding him when we have Garland and Mobley. But he’s only scratched the surface of his offensive potential. He should become a much better passer and shooter than he is. If we want him to be say 18-20 ppg scorer on high efficiency with 5 assists per game, who we can go to in the 4th quarter when we need offense, we need to actively push him and develop him on offense.

 

[Adam]

Also the staff talk about him impacting the game in more ways than just scoring so don't expect him to be a play finisher when he's surrounded by three excellent finishers in Garland Mitchell and Allen. If you were going to run and offense with this team you would be crazy to not design it so Mitchell and Allen were the first options (perimeter oddball or on all screen) with garland the second. Mobley will have the ball a lot but as a passer to free up the others.

 

[cavsfever]

Well he’s not as good a passer as he should be now so he needs to work on that aspect of his game. Also, if he was a shooting threat that would open up a lot more passing opportunities.

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

Mobley is the goat after Travers and Diakite so yeah, he should potentially be the 3rd option when they join the team.

So the pecking order should basically be:
1)Travers..ofcourse
2)Diakite
3)Mobley
4)Garland
5)Mitchell
6)Allen

 

[Nphan]

Mobley should never be 1 or 2 option and that not a bad thing…….Mitchell is my 1 option as it should be, that’s your scoring guard…..

Why not? Garnett was, Duncan was. Mobley potential should be a 25-30 + scorer.

 

[Nphan]

Mitchell is 7th all time in playoff PPG at 28.3. I don’t see Mobley overtaking him as the 2nd scoring option. You’d basically be wasting Mitchell’s talents at that point, and I don’t see why he would stick around when his contact is up. Mobley being the third scoring option is perfect for both his game and personality because it allows him to focus on the other aspects of his game (like passing and defense) that he’s frankly much better at than scoring. Mitchell’s entire value derives from his on-ball scoring ability and the pressure he puts on the paint as a penetrator. We didn’t trade for him to make him a tertiary scoring option.

I agree we got him for the scorer. Garland has to be the 3rd option then cause Mobley potential is 25ppg per game unless Garland is scoring more.

 

[Medina smoke]

An NBA championship for the Cavs? Hall of Fame? Evan Mobley is chasing greatness, and he wants it all

"All the guys talk to me about that every day, about my importance to this franchise,” Evan Mobley said. “I know it. I understand it."

www.cleveland.com

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

An NBA championship for the Cavs? Hall of Fame? Evan Mobley is chasing greatness, and he wants it all

"All the guys talk to me about that every day, about my importance to this franchise,” Evan Mobley said. “I know it. I understand it."

www.cleveland.com

Almost done... and wanted to say that it's amazing to read. I'm super excited.

 

[Alec]

mixed bag tonight from Mobley. Lots of complaints in the gameday thread about his rebounding. All valid. Showed some interesting moves on offense including one that led to a dunk. But a lot of clumsiness, as well.

Learning when one should and shouldn’t try different things it is also part of the learning curve.

Very optimistic about his development. JBB is still sorting out the rotations and roles and that should smooth the process.

 

[Kepler]

what happened to 1Q mobley

 

[Kouki]

Same as last year, every time he dribbles I expect bad things. Dude should never bring the ball up the court, or dribble at all around mid court.

 

[Kouki]

I will say his shot release seems sped up, so that's good.