We spotlight how the Grizzlies stayed afloat without Ja Morant, the mini Mavs, reinvention in Toronto and the unprecedented (and still unfolding) story of Markelle Fultz.
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Anyone that can share the Mobley portion?
1. The breadth of Evan Mobley's game ... on offense!?!?
Mobley is one of the best defenders in the league already. If you don't watch the
Cleveland Cavaliers, you might miss that Mobley's offense is expanding in every direction.
His counting stats being up even slightly is a win given the introduction of another high-usage guard in
Donovan Mitchell. Mobley is shooting 55%, up from 50.8% last season. He leads the league in dunks and looks more decisive exploding through creases.
Mobley is using his left hand more in traffic, including on soft jump hooks:
He can take the ball coast to coast and make the right plays.
If his jumper comes along -- even just a reliable long 2 -- Mobley will be a 20-point scorer very soon, and maybe much more than that in his prime.
Mobley's growth as a passer leaps off the screen. He's averaging 2.7 dimes, up from 2.5 last season, and again -- that uptick is more than it appears given how Mitchell and
Darius Garland dominate the offense.
When Mobley rolls into space, he's making snappy reads:
He knows where his shooters should be, and whether it might be smarter to take one dribble to make the defense think -- and open up the baseline for one of his cutters. Mobley is playing from one step ahead.
He makes that pass as the only big man on the floor -- a role he played exclusively when
Jarrett Allen missed four recent games. But those same interior passes work with Allen lurking on the baseline.
When Mobley draws help on the block, the ball is flying out of his hands while defenders are still rotating toward him -- and before they start their next wave of rotations:
The Cavs are using Mobley more as a facilitator from the post, with shooters screening for each other off the ball. That could turn into a powerful weapon -- needed variety outside Mitchell and Garland pick-and-roll attacks.
Mobley was never really in a sophomore slump. He's coming. The numbers may not show it, but Mobley is on track to be a two-way superstar.
(unfortunately the embedded video links will not copy)