Evan Mobley: 2023 All Defensive 1st Team

[All4One1ForAll]

I don't expect him to be a scorer on offense to be honest. He just doesn't have that natural talent for it. He's a little awkward, he gets pushed off balance easily, and his handles and jump shot aren't good. But he needs to be better on defense and on the boards. That's how he's supposed to be making his impact, and that's why I was afraid of this organization being too focused on Mobley being some kind of go-to scorer. That's not him and will never be him. Not only does it not align with his skills, but he doesn't have the fire in him to be that guy either. Go make your impact felt on the defensive end and stop allowing all these 2nd chance points. And then on offense, be more of an opportunistic scorer and just a passer out of the high post. Stop dribbling because it never leads to anything good.

 

[mAo_mAo]

I did not like how soft Mobley is. That is my one concern. The KG comp fails on that one trait alone.

 

[RuanuLaw]

What I felt all of last year, and even this game (after the 1st Qrt), is that he just does not seem to have an aggressive bone in his body.

I fear that he will never be aggressive enough to ever dominate a game.

 

[Alec]

What I felt all of last year, and even this game (after the 1st Qrt), is that he just does not seem to have an aggressive bone in his body.

I fear that he will never be aggressive enough to ever dominate a game.

I used to agree with you but I think it’s more of a confidence in his skills, issue. He posted up and dunked on Myles turner last year. In his face. He shut down Tatum and Dame Lillard and Tyler Herro in the clutch. From the perimeter and in.

He appears to have a very calm demeanor. But his work ethic is reportedly very good. Once (If?) his skills are able to match his aspirations, I think domination is possible!

 

[redscoon]

Less dribbling, more rebounding. He should be getting the ball at the elbow or baseline, but for some reason, we insist on him trying to initiate something way beyond where he should be touching the ball. He should be able to become a great offensive player in time if he puts the work in, but we don’t need him trying to be Magic Johnson right now. Just do the simple things.

 

[FrontPageNews]

Mobley needs to chill out with the stupid shit. He shouldn’t be dribbling on the perimeter.

 

[Dr. Claw]

That being said, that play where he basically bullied his way down the court with the "F-U" dunk is the attitude we need to see more often, less so the dribbling stuff.

 

[guitarguy]

I had no problem with Mobley playing a little wreckless. In fact, if we underperformed as a team this year, because we let Mobley's leash out all year, I would really be ok with it too in the long run. Every time he shot or took the ball, even if he missed or lost it, I was saying, "I'm glad you took it".

He's never going to be as good as he can be playing safe, screw that, I say let him play a little wild. I'm ok with it. The only thing I didn't like last night was his lack of rebounding. Feel like he should be getting close to 10 a night, no excuses.

 

[letgocavs]

Played a little passive, his offensive struggles I can live with. But why isn't he being told to put a body on someone instead of trying to predict where the ball is going to go. We need toughness on this team. Lopez should be playing with mobley. He's a work in progress. Nothing is guaranteed.

 

[ZooCrewDude]

I think it’s more than unfair evaluating Mobley’s toughness, balance, rebounding, etc against a team like the Raps on the road in game one. That was a playoff atmosphere and they were playing flat out bully ball with the benefit of the whistles. We hung in there and likely win that game with more scoring punch from DG down the stretch. And this is against a more cohesive unit in game one.

A lot of bona fide players will look rough against that squad and that’s similar to how it will look/feel against playoff opponents on the road. I expect we’ll see a lot more out of Mobley this year in better matchups…. And he’ll need to learn how to modify his game/approach in games like last night.

Im just grateful to have Mitchell who has the balls, style of play and experience to excel despite it. We missed that so badly last year and I don’t think for a moment that Lauri or Sexton would help us overcome last night.

 

[mds]

I had no problem with Mobley playing a little wreckless. In fact, if we underperformed as a team this year, because we let Mobley's leash out all year, I would really be ok with it too in the long run. Every time he shot or took the ball, even if he missed or lost it, I was saying, "I'm glad you took it".

He's never going to be as good as he can be playing safe, screw that, I say let him play a little wild. I'm ok with it. The only thing I didn't like last night was his lack of rebounding. Feel like he should be getting close to 10 a night, no excuses.

Agreed. I have no issue with him working this shit out at the beginning of his second year. Lets see what he can do. I'm fine with some fuckups along the way.

 

[Kouki]

I had just hoped to see more ball security. Obviously only one game against a tougher opponent (long and active/grabby) but his ball security is worse than Okoro's. Teams will pick up on that MO...though really they already have.

Poor ball security in the NBA is like a drop of blood to a shark. Defenders don't even bother pressuring guys with good handles, but guys like Okoro and Mobley see extra attention from the defense because they are a walking turnover.

 

[letgocavs]

Punt the season, if it means finding out for sure if he has “it” or not.

 

[Futuredome]

Not a necessary comment at all.

 

[Peacedog]

Punt the season, if it means finding out for sure if he has “it” or not.

What the hells are you talking about?