Evan Mobley: 2023 All Defensive 1st Team

[InBoobieWeTrust]

Zach Lowe was very complimentary of Mobley on a recent podcast of his. Said he was extremely excited and that his defense was going to be special. I respect Lowe a lot. Mobley gets a lot of media love from the high profile National guys which is nice to see for a guy in Cleveland post LeBron. Bill Simmons too.

 

[2 For The Brew]

He’ll have a game at some point where he wrecks a quality opponent and eyebrows will go up all over the NBA.

 

[bs80]

I mean he didnt even score 20 once yet he was nominated for EC player of the week. First week, 20 year old rookie, ECPlayer of the Week.

Insane. I dont even know what to say, i have seen it for 3 games, no way he keeps it up at this level right? Its 4 factors. His length, he is a legit 7'1, his build. He has very long arms, so somehow he is a long 7'1 with an over 9 foot standing reach. He is very athletic. The flip in sand at his size, and from a high school article about him might have an insane 40 inch vert for his size. Then there is the footspeed, he is as quick as an athletic small forward. Then the BBIQ.

When you put it all together he get a unicorn much in the same mold as Giannis. They are different players, Giannis has a better handle and court vision, but Evan is a better shooter. But that is the type of unique athlete Mobley is. Its insane. I have no idea how he develops, but as a cavs fan I will get a front row seat to his development, and that is going to be a ton of fun.

He's referred to as a unicorn because of his freakish combination of size and ability to move. But I'm starting to think what makes him a TRUE unicorn is his combination of elite athleticism + elite intelligence + elite humility/coachability.

We've seen two out of three before, but I'm not sure if I've ever seen all three of these attributes at such a high level in a single player before. I love watching him freakishly move his frame around the court. I love hearing stuff along the lines of how he only needs to be taught a concept once because he absorbs it right away. But I'm even more tickled by how unfull of himself he appears to be. This young man is fucking special.

 

[buzzdog]

The man has SKILLS.

Unbelievable how well he chops and shuffles his feet, always staying in balance and in position. The guy has quick feet.

Nothing short of amazing to watch.

 

[Nphan]

Wrong thread

 

[MD13]

3 straight plays at the start of the 4th they blitz Darius on the pick and roll, and 3 straight times he makes the right play off the 4 on 3 short roll. Touch pass lob to Lauri for a dunk, he stretches around his man for a layup, and he finds the right outlet to Okoro on the wing that eventually leads to an open Sexton 3. Bigs this inexperienced just shouldn't be processing the game this quickly, it's unbelievable.

 

[chuck0609]

I’d like to see him be a bit more agressive, but it will come with time.

 

[InBoobieWeTrust]

I’d like to see him be a bit more agressive, but it will come with time.

he needs to attack the basket like he attacks the opposing offensive set, determined to destroy it at all times. It will come in time. Tonight was a masterful defensive performance. And he still put up a solid 10 and 8 when the defense clearly decided to help off of Allen onto Mobley tonight at times. And Allen ate with 21-16. Beautiful basketball.

 

[Cavatt]

So they basic let him make reads from the elbow in 3-4 straight possessions and they were all great.

Especially Sexton, but Garland too need to let Mobley run the offense. Collin spacing like that to the corner seems deadly. He gets there quick.

Anyway they need to get Mobley more touches where he is making decisions. They have to involve him more.

 

[PIP]

If this dude puts on some muscle LeBron is gonna wanna come back…

 

[bleedwineandgold03]

You can tell he already put muscle this summer. The kid is a flat out stud. This kid is a baller cant believe he felled to 3.

 

[red.]

I like that he’s aggressive and go after his shot. It’ll fall soon.

Defense crazy.

I just don’t see Stretch Armstrong having a bad game. His defense alone makes an impact. He’ll get easy clean up buckets too.

 

[STAT]

So they basic let him make reads from the elbow in 3-4 straight possessions and they were all great.

Especially Sexton, but Garland too need to let Mobley run the offense. Collin spacing like that to the corner seems deadly. He gets there quick.

Anyway they need to get Mobley more touches where he is making decisions. They have to involve him more.

Murray was out tonight, so we couldn’t see it, but my hope is that we let Mobley be the top of the key offensive hub (at least some) that Jokic is, and have Sexton and Garland make cuts and leak out for threes the way Murray plays off of Jokic.

 

[CavsFanJapan]

He hasn't even developed a consistent middie or 3pt shot yet and he is already a threat with the ball. When he gets aggressive and confidence in his shot, this kid is going to elevate this team even more. I believe it will begin to happen before the end of this season.

 

[Ohio]

I like that he’s aggressive and go after his shot. It’ll fall soon.

Defense crazy.

I just don’t see Stretch Armstrong having a bad game. His defense alone makes an impact. He’ll get easy clean up buckets too.

This is what is special about Mobley.

He's making a positive impact every time he's on the court, regardless of what it says in the box score.

His defense alone is so impactful it's honestly crazy. He's an absolute force on that end already.