Evan Mobley (should be considered for) Defensive Player of the Year

[MarkPriceFan]

It's probably going to take a few years with him to get to the point where he's contributing on the level of the other top picks. But I think his defense, like Okoro's, is going to help his offense develop because it lets the Cavs keep him on the court even if his scoring lags.

It would be really fucking nice if Windler could stay healthy, because getting some spacing from the 3 would really make a difference in the flow.

Are there any 3pt shooters we can reasonably look to sign in free agency? Ideally a SF? Right now I'm thinking we start Larry Nance at the 3 but if he can't stay healthy I guess we just have to go small with Okoro? But man, this offense is going to be paltry if we have to go in that direction.

 

[I'mWithDan]

It's probably going to take a few years with him to get to the point where he's contributing on the level of the other top picks. But I think his defense, like Okoro's, is going to help his offense develop because it lets the Cavs keep him on the court even if his scoring lags.

It would be really fucking nice if Windler could stay healthy, because getting some spacing from the 3 would really make a difference in the flow.

I think Mobley is in a really great situation, especially with Garland / Rubio.

Typically a rookie big like him does not have quality creators around him to start.

With that box already checked, I honestly think his offensive development becomes far easier.

Both of those players can get him easy, efficient looks.

Both are great P&R pairs for him.

Allen is a bigger / tougher guy alongside him, so he should be able to bang inside less and use his refined skill more.

One of the rare instances where I think the landing spot for a rookie big is just so good.....relative to what the team has around him.

I would honestly hope he's something like 15 and 8 as a rookie.....with 5-6 combined blocks / steals / assists.

My expectations are super high given the fit and surrounding guard talent.

 

[guitarguy]

Funny, when we got the 3rd pick, I just thought there was no way we'd ever get this guy. Especially after watching film of the top 10 players...he really seemed like the cream of the crop to me.

Bigs are always a little scary with injuries etc...but I mean, hell, Kyrie could be an mvp candidate if he could actually stay healthy for a season, so no size is guaranteed.

He seems to have a few things I didn't see in Cade, and some major natural gifts I didn't see in Green. Fingers crossed, but this should be a couple years watching him grow as a player. I suspect we will get some major highlights this season.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

It's probably going to take a few years with him to get to the point where he's contributing on the level of the other top picks. But I think his defense, like Okoro's, is going to help his offense develop because it lets the Cavs keep him on the court even if his scoring lags.

Why do you think it's going to take "a few years"? The other top picks are the same age. Actually, Cade and Green are 19 and Mobley is 20.

Mobley is a pretty skilled player from everything I've seen and read. He was an extremely accomplished college player who played in a major conference.

Only [Anthony] Davis accomplished what Mobley did as a freshman, taking home conference Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors in the same season. Since Box Plus-Minus was introduced to the college game, only three players finished with a better mark than Mobley: Davis, Zion Williamson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Mobley also led the NCAA in Win Shares this past season, thrusting USC into the Elite Eight for the second time in two decades. - Chris Fedor

It's not like he played in a small conference like Windler or is considered "raw" like Kuminga. He's not an 18-year-old international player like Giannis was when he was drafted. Mobley seems prepared to make an impact immediately.

I could see him having a rookie season similar to Okoro last year - more of a defensive contributor than offense, but like Okoro his offense should pick up in the second half.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Are there any 3pt shooters we can reasonably look to sign in free agency? Ideally a SF? Right now I'm thinking we start Larry Nance at the 3 but if he can't stay healthy I guess we just have to go small with Okoro? But man, this offense is going to be paltry if we have to go in that direction.

Most improvement is going to have to come from within. Sexton taking a higher percentage of 3's, Okoro adding a few points to his percentage, maybe Windler.

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

Cavs still lack a sharpshooter. That's a big need.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

It seemed like a lot of teams last year featured a starting lineup with only one guy over 6'7". Some teams had nobody over 6'9". When we play Allen and Mobley at the same time one of them, if not both, is going to have a huge height advantage. We could see a lot of passes going to the low post in the half-court offense.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Why do you think it's going to take "a few years"? The other top picks are the same age. Actually, Cade and Green are 19 and Mobley is 20.

I don't think he is as mature physically as Cunningham, Green, or Suggs, so he's more likely to get moved off his preferred spots and bumped around by other PF's for awhile. Physical growth also requires constant retweaking of muscle memory until you're settled into your body. And he's got further to go in developing his shooting than any of those guys.

 

[TheISHT]

I don't think he is as mature physically as Cunningham, Green, or Suggs. Physical growth also requires constant retweaking of muscle memory until you're settled into your body. And he's got further to go in developing his shooting than any of those guys.

Agreed, a skinny young big is going to definitely take longer to develop than most guards.

 

[SVC]

Why do you think it's going to take "a few years"? The other top picks are the same age. Actually, Cade and Green are 19 and Mobley is 20.

Mobley is a pretty skilled player from everything I've seen and read. He was an extremely accomplished college player who played in a major conference.

Only [Anthony] Davis accomplished what Mobley did as a freshman, taking home conference Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors in the same season. Since Box Plus-Minus was introduced to the college game, only three players finished with a better mark than Mobley: Davis, Zion Williamson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Mobley also led the NCAA in Win Shares this past season, thrusting USC into the Elite Eight for the second time in two decades. - Chris Fedor

It's not like he played in a small conference like Windler or is considered "raw" like Kuminga. He's not an 18-year-old international player like Giannis was when he was drafted. Mobley seems prepared to make an impact immediately.

I could see him having a rookie season similar to Okoro last year - more of a defensive contributor than offense, but like Okoro his offense should pick up in the second half.

Most of the other guys have some glaring deficiency also. This kid basically does nothing wrong. No bad habits to unlearn. He needs to get stronger, but I expect he makes his presence known immediately on defense. He’s unselfish to a fault, so he won’t do anything stupid on offense. He’s a great passer already.

To me when I watch him, the biggest challenge with him is that he’s so laid back and unselfish. He even plays laid back at times. I hope the coaches and his teammate light a fire under him in a productive manner.
He always makes the smart play, which is great, but you’re allowed to make some mistakes when expanding your game. I’m going to guess that’s the biggest challenge coaching this kid. Telling him to take the 3 if he has it and don’t always worry about making the smartest play on every possession his first few seasons. Getting him to embrace being the man that it all revolves around mentality.

 

[george_killer]

This is our best draft pick since LeBron, nearly two decades ago. Welcome Mobley!

 

[ansatsusha80]

 

[Kizzle]

Twin tower lineup is going to look really tempting but I’d advise against it. Teams ate running guys like Tatum and KD at the 4. No possible way we could guard those types of lineups with Allen and Mobley at the 4 and 5.
One thing these 2 do is scare anyone from running big lineups against us. Monkey obviously has to be good to do this but i think he’ll be good

 

[Lumthemad]

Very excited for this kid to be added to the squad. I see some Nance Sr to his game with how he blocks shots and does a lot of smaller things really well. Hope to see an exciting rookie campaign where he learns how to become the dominant player he ultimately will become.

 

[chrisrich91]

Twin tower lineup is going to look really tempting but I’d advise against it. Teams ate running guys like Tatum and KD at the 4. No possible way we could guard those types of lineups with Allen and Mobley at the 4 and 5.
One thing these 2 do is scare anyone from running big lineups against us. Monkey obviously has to be good to do this but i think he’ll be good

From what I've seen of Mobley, I wouldn't put it past him to be able to defend guys like Tatum and KD with reasonable success. I mean, he's shown the ability to stick with shifty guards...and he'd be extremely difficult for those guys to shoot a jumper over.

I think a guy like Tatum could have a harder time guarding Mobley than Mobley would have guarding him (maybe not his rookie year but after some time to acclimate). This is the tantalizing defensive versatility that got him drafted #3 in a stacked class.