Evan Mobley: 2023 All Defensive 1st Team

[Kouki]

Green also just put up a 30/4/3/2/1 line on 11/18 including a teenager-record-tying 8/10 3PT.

Would not be surprised if Green is ROY given it typically goes to the flashy offensive players and that's OK.

 

[macbdog]

Giannis is about to be 27 and no jumper from what we have seen. So if he keeps working on it, and he will, he will be what 30 or so before its at all consistent, that will be too late and on the downside of his prime.

I dont want to bash the guy, he is a phenomenal player, and an all time great, first ballot HOF....but GOAT? Probably the 3rd or 4th best player playing right now on an all time list....Lebron, Durant....and maybe Steph, but i like Giannis over Steph.

But when all of their careers are done, it will be Lebron, Durant then Giannis in that order

Giannis can be entered in the GOAT talk when in game intros he says his spot is 'every position'.

 

[CavsFanJapan]

Well, in order to improve his ROY standing, Evan will just have to get his 1st triple-double tonight against the Joker.

 

[Douglar]

Green also just put up a 30/4/3/2/1 line on 11/18 including a teenager-record-tying 8/10 3PT.

Would not be surprised if Green is ROY given it typically goes to the flashy offensive players and that's OK.

Jalen Green also went 2-11 from 3pt range in his first two games. Seems like the kind of guy who is just as likely to shoot you out of a game as shoot you into it. I'm talking to you, JR Smth!!!

And anyway, it's pretty cool that Mobley is averaging the same number of assists a game as JGreen. That's tremendous for Mobley.

 

[cavsfever]

So history as a guide, the last time Altman NEEDED to stress "fit" over "name" he turned the roster over midseason and the Cavs were able to ride the right mix of shooting/defense/bench scoring around LeBron into the Finals. It was a very good pivot from a shoddy team built on old resumes w/talent and interest no longer there. I get that LeBron was the key to getting to the Finals, but that group had much better defined roles top to bottom than the one that they opened the season with, and it was mostly all Koby's moves that got those guys.
I'm not sold that he can do it again, but if he can, mid-season is kind of when he will need to get it done. I think the deal is a package of Rubio and/or Laurie w/either Collin, Okoro, Garland or the '22 pick for their starting SF and a lesser role player for the bench. Just my guess.

The way I remember that year is that the acquisitions were mostly disappointing and Lebron dragged us into the Finals by force. But yeah, they were better than Isiah Thomas I guess, so it's all in how you look at it.

 

[Ohioplayer00]

The way I remember that year is that the acquisitions were mostly disappointing and Lebron dragged us into the Finals by force. But yeah, they were better than Isiah Thomas I guess, so it's all in how you look at it.

What I remember was the GM back then (LBJ) wanted those acquisitions. And he “drag” us anywhere! That was ONE THE best supporting cast he has EVER had in a Cavs uniform other than the 2016 roster.
What people to remember is that LBJ has taken every team he’s been on to the Finals. Even with Bosh and Wade the Heat doesn’t get there and go back to back without LBJ….the Lakers in the Covid * Year doesn’t win a title without LBJ to carry AD. He’s not called The King for nothing!

 

[cavsfever]

Well, in order to improve his ROY standing, Evan will just have to get his 1st triple-double tonight against the Joker.

Since Jokic is not known for his defense it would be more impressive if Evan could hold Jokic below his averages on offense.

 

[weepinwillow]

The way I remember that year is that the acquisitions were mostly disappointing and Lebron dragged us into the Finals by force. But yeah, they were better than Isiah Thomas I guess, so it's all in how you look at it.

well it's a fair criticism that Clarkson, Hood and Hill completely crapped the bed when things got tight, but I felt like the Rose/IT/Wade/Crowder/Shumpert group were just useless for Cleveland. Wade may have been able to perform in the playoffs had he shown half an interest during the regular season and not been a jackwagon in the locker-room. None of them really had a role with LeBron, or if they did have a role, filled it horribly.
When they jettisoned tiny T and Curmudgeons for Nance/JC/Hill/Hood you could see how the fit made sense. The defense tightened up some and guys were in the right roles. The parts fit, even if the mental make-up didn't.
Which is kind of the point on Altman. He can pivot to "fit" from "asset collection" well enough to make the roster cohearent, he's done it in the past.
So now it's on Altman to re-structure this thing around Mobely appropriately. I think they have a good pick and roll guard who can also spot up in Garland, need a floor spacing 3 and probably a floor spacing 2, one of those two needs to be a somewhat dynamic scorer, the other needs to be able to play off the ball well and both need to be able to defend well. Then you need a bench scorer and depth.
Gonna be tough to do. Every team in the NBA is looking for that dynamic G/F and 3-D guy

 

[guitarguy]

This rookie class is looking like it is what it was cracked up to be. There seems to be potential for 5 to 10 studs coming out here. That's kind of nuts considering the last decade or so of drafts.

 

[cavsfever]

This draft class is going to accelerate the move to the NBA being a young players league. The 30-something old guard are on their way out

 

[Lee]

Jalen Green also went 2-11 from 3pt range in his first two games. Seems like the kind of guy who is just as likely to shoot you out of a game as shoot you into it. I'm talking to you, JR Smth!!!

And anyway, it's pretty cool that Mobley is averaging the same number of assists a game as JGreen. That's tremendous for Mobley.

Jalen Green has far more potential than where JR Smith's career ended. He is having a typical early season rookie performance. I am not going to bag on Green just because Mobley is better and having more success early. There were 3 or 4 prospects in this draft that would have gone #1 in most drafts, kind of like the 2003 NBA Draft and only 1 of the top 5 ended up being a bust. So chances are Green has a very good career.

 

[daytripper]

The good news is I see up to 4-5 intriguing wing prospects in next year's draft.

 

[Douglar]

Jalen Green has far more potential than where JR Smith's career ended.

Lol!! JR Smith’s career had far more potential than where JR Smith’s career ended!

And usually it’s the lanky big men that have slow starts.

 

[Lee]

Lol!! JR Smith’s career had far more potential than where JR Smith’s career ended!

And usually it’s the lanky big men that have slow starts.

Agree 100% on both. I said it that way because JR Smith should have been a perennial all star, but his potential did not meet his career. But Green has a ton of talent and should be a very, very good NBA player.

And I didnt expect this start for Mobley and I think he will be the best player from this draft, so 100% agreed. Mobley's shooting from 3 and mid range will come around. He will get better, not sure what that looks like because he is better than I expected him to be the entire year. He is such an exciting player. Still want KG to come in and coach him up. If he could develop KG's aggression the sky is the limit for this kid.

 

[CardiacCavs]

Mobley got some love this morning from John Hollinger in his Athletic article. The gist was that he thinks Mobley can be "The Guy" on this team and his defensive ability is already amazing. Here are a couple of small excerpts. Worth reading in full if you have the Athletic. He breaks down some videos from the Hawks game too.

Nonetheless, while several of the top picks have made an impression, we need to talk more about one guy in particular.

Evan Mobley.

Projecting bigs from the NCAA is always challenging because of the differences in styles of play, but it appears early on that all the hype about Mobley as a Chris Bosh 2.0 is legit. If anything, it might have been undersold. In a league that otherwise has grown to devalue most big men, Mobley seems to be the much-coveted unicorn big who can comfortably play on the perimeter at both ends while having enough size, length and athleticism to protect the rim and dive on rolls to the basket.

Offensively, he lacks the heft to punish opponents consistently on the low block, but his post ups have looked better than similar forays from his freshman year at USC. Meanwhile, there are at least two mouth-watering perimeter plays per game from him. He handed out six assists in the opener against Memphis, has looked comfortable enough from the 3-point line to feel confident in his eventual progress as a stretch threat, and has the body control and touch to shoot short-range floaters rolling to the rim when a dunk isn’t available.

And as for his defense… Holy Mobley. While he struggles at times with physicality, he’s already shown the ability to be the positionless, switchable, rim-protecting monster that every team covets.

He can become one of the best defensive players in the league, quickly.

If so, this is huge for Cleveland. The Cavs have been stuck in the mud since LeBron James left because their mid-lottery picks have yet to produce the type of centerpiece talent to propel them forward. Collin Sexton, Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro have a future in the league, but none of them are going to be The Guy – the best player on a good team.

Mobley? He can absolutely be The Guy. It’s the most notable development from the first week of the season.