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Evan Mobley: 2023 All Defensive 1st Team

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Is Evan Mobley the Greatest Player of All Time?

  • Yes

    Votes: 48 39.0%
  • Yes

    Votes: 21 17.1%
  • Yes

    Votes: 7 5.7%
  • YAAASSS!!!

    Votes: 36 29.3%
  • Jim Chones

    Votes: 25 20.3%

  • Total voters
    123
Isn’t Giannis the best comp? Extremely long, extremely thin, wing player who seems too tall to be a wing, but plays it anyway?
 
Isn’t Giannis the best comp? Extremely long, extremely thin, wing player who seems too tall to be a wing, but plays it anyway?
Giannis had point guard handles and extremely elite athleticism/agility.

Evan Mobley, while having good handles and agility for his size, does not. I wouldn't even put Mobley on a Lamar Odom level with regards to those things--let alone Giannis.

I think the comps to players like KG, Bosh and AD are good ones. However, I think player comps are shit in general--here's hoping Mobley sets the mold and people are hoping their next high draft pick can turn out like Mobley.
 
I'm pretty sure he is 2nd string center behind Allen. I'm thinking Hartenstein won't be back. No rumors of us giving him a QO despite having the option to do so. Mobley will clearly get minutes at C but I don't think the team will start him at C in his rookie season and I don't think any of our other PFs can play C much either.

I would just use the roster spot on a wing than Kabengele. It would force JBB to be more creative and to give Wade minutes. If we want a 6th big, maybe use a two way on one.
 
Giannis had point guard handles and extremely elite athleticism/agility.

Evan Mobley, while having good handles and agility for his size, does not. I wouldn't even put Mobley on a Lamar Odom level with regards to those things--let alone Giannis.

I think the comps to players like KG, Bosh and AD are good ones. However, I think player comps are shit in general--here's hoping Mobley sets the mold and people are hoping their next high draft pick can turn out like Mobley.

Giannis didn't come in with point guard handles. Having Jason Kidd *intentionally* work with him on the handles is why he has them now.
 
Isn’t Giannis the best comp? Extremely long, extremely thin, wing player who seems too tall to be a wing, but plays it anyway?

No, Giannis is a much better ball handler and passer. Evan is very good at both, but Giannis is a sf and Evan is a pf, thnk more Bosh
 
David Aldridge wrote this in The Athletic:

Here’s a veteran NBA GM, one day before the draft.

“The bigs have become a little bit like running backs in the NFL,” he said. “The running backs are still important. The drafting process doesn’t respect them as much. But when you don’t have one, you know you need one.”

We see it every time in the playoffs, when the game doesn’t slow down as much as return to its roots. Good teams with switchable defenses, the mental cauldron of postseason basketball and a half-dozen other things tend to be more impactful than the 3-fest that dominates the regular season. Giannis Antetokounmpo, seeing no experienced rim protectors among the Phoenix Suns, ate in the paint throughout the Finals. And the smaller Suns suffered further by not being able to keep the bigger Bucks off the offensive glass at crucial moments. Having impactful big men still matters. And this year’s draft has a few that project to be quite impactful, starting with USC freshman Evan Mobley....

Eastern Conference Executive 1: Shoots comfortably from the perimeter, very good passer, runs like a gazelle, excellent shot blocker with timing and the ability to not foul.

Eastern Conference Executive 2: I’ve watched a little film on these guys. Cade and Mobley are a tier above, and then there’s Jalen Green next, then after that it’s (Jalen) Suggs....

When I watch (Mobley), that’s what I see as well – Bosh. I see a little more ball skill than Bosh at the same age, but the same fluid movement, the comfort level on the perimeter, the feel for how to move on the perimeter and in transition seems to be very consistent with Bosh. I think there’s a little more ballhandle skill than Bosh at the same period of time. Competes at both ends. Never backed down. A lot of games where he might have been challenged physically, but he didn’t back down; he fought.

Just a question of how much his body can develop. Any team that’s going to be involved with him is going to be on top of that right away. He runs all day, so is he able to keep weight on? Me, personally, I think he’s No. 1 because of what his ceiling could be, as opposed to the other two. Cade, I respect his skill set with his size. But I still think that’s something you can find. Jalen, I respect his athleticism and skill set and motor. But I think that’s something you can find. But Evan, that’s not something that comes along every draft.....

Eastern Conference Executive 3: I’m not saying he’s Tim Duncan or Chris Bosh, but at the same age, he’s got a great awareness on both ends of the floor. He can really pass. He’s really skilled. And he can block shots. When it’s all said and done, he could be the best of the group.

College Assistant Coach 1 (his team played USC): Great kid, great worker. Skilled, basketball pedigree. The only box I would say that I don’t think he checks — he doesn’t check, but it could just be because he’s young — it’s that he’s not a killer. He’s just a good kid. If he can get over that, which he could, that’s the only hole I see right now. He’s a good ballhandler, not a great one. He’s a good scorer, not a great scorer. But he’s so freaking big and skilled and can make other plays, block shots. If I was adding it in my mental computer, I would say he could be an All-Star. He could be Chris Bosh. Or he could be a solid, good player, but not great.

At the end of the day, you’re just judging the output. You’re not judging why the output is the output. You look at his total skill set, he should be getting 20 and 20 every night. So when he plays and he gets 12 and 10 you’ve got to go, ‘hey man, why?’ He’s not an asshole like Kobe. He’s not an aggressive, loud talker like (Kevin) Garnett. That just ain’t his deal. Now, he’s just 18. Could he get nastier? Yeah, he could. … And you can physically get after him a little bit because of his stature. He’s not a wiry, fighter dude.

this article makes me feel like I’m just as smart as a veteran NBA GM. Starts with a guy who doesn’t know Deandre Ayton plays center for the Suns and goes down hill from there...
 
The problem is no one is trading a wing to make themselves a smaller team with Sexton. We won't get close to an equally productive player back because wings are so overvalued in today's NBA. It's why we needed to take shots with those future 2nd rounders. Someone like BJ Boston had the measurable of a good wing and was a top tier prospect before this year.

If we don't use quality picks on wings then you got to push more avenues to get them. It becomes a game of quantity over quality so we can sort through to find diamonds in the rough. This team stockpiling bigs and having them take up roster spots doesn't build us the value and is an opportunity cost to finding the positions we actually need.

that’s right, there’s no way anyone is giving us a top wing for Sexton. And we’re severely lacking wings, even KPj was more of a good wing than we have. Fortunately we still have at least one more year in the lottery to make up that deficiency. I’m perfectly happy to see this coming year be a “losing but fun” year where we experiment with a guards-bigs combo that no one has seen for a while in the NBA

one trade target we might think about is Cam Reddish, but it would be tough to get him with Sexton since the Hawks can’t afford to pay Sexton to resign
 
It's hard to find a good comparison. On the offensive end I think he's kind of Anthony Davis, young Kevin Garnett-like. Except less nasty/explosive and less technique. He attempts a lot of high-extension shots in the paint that are nearly impossible to defend.

Bosh was more of a shooter at the elbow... jab, jab, shoot. He also had a good post game and utilized a variety of moves. I don't see much of Bosh's game in Mobley though Mobley's posture and the way he physically carries himself is similar to Bosh. Mobley is less focused on fooling the defender and will drive to put up a one-handed shot above the defender, whereas Bosh was more skilled.

Those are the comparisons I see, but Mobley is unique. He is very confident in this game, whether it means attacking or distributing the ball. He has a quick first step and could be a matchup nightmare depending on the opponent. There are a lot of bad turnovers but that's fixable - he shows a willingness to pass. He'll take that open shot, and he appears to be adept at drawing fouls. He's not gonna just rely on live-game field goals - he's gonna get to that line and get some freebies. His stats don't seem "empty".

Defensively is where I'm really impressed. He seems to have a natural, shot-blocking instincts. He has demonstrated impeccable timing with his shot-blocking, and anticipates the shot attempt quite well. I'd like to see better and more consistent boxing out when rebounding, but he elevates well and usually secures the ball.

He'll bulk up a bit and be better at maintaining his position in the paint. I wish he had a bit more nastiness to him but that's not necessary to be a superstar. All in all... the sky is the limit for him.
Agreed with this. I don’t see the Bosh or Durant comparisons, he’s not the kind of jump shooter Durant is or for that matter Bosh was, and he’s even skinnier than Bosh was. And he’ll clearly never be the kind of muscular bullying driving destroyer Giannis is. It’s like people are comparing him based on who his body reminds them of rather than what his game is like. I guess maybe AD feels like the best comp to me, but really Mobley seems like a pretty unique player and I’m excited to see what path he takes
 
Agreed with this. I don’t see the Bosh or Durant comparisons, he’s not the kind of jump shooter Durant is or for that matter Bosh was, and he’s even skinnier than Bosh was. And he’ll clearly never be the kind of muscular bullying driving destroyer Giannis is. It’s like people are comparing him based on who his body reminds them of rather than what his game is like. I guess maybe AD feels like the best comp to me, but really Mobley seems like a pretty unique player and I’m excited to see what path he takes

I see more of young Pau Gasol offensively at least. On the defensive end he's got some Marcus Camby in him. I'm not saying he's going to be some kind of hybrid of Gasol on offense and Camby on defense. If that was the case he would have gone first without question. But similar style of play on each side of the court to those 2. And I'm talking young Memphis Grizzlies Pau. Not older Pau.
 
I see more of young Pau Gasol offensively at least. On the defensive end he's got some Marcus Camby in him. I'm not saying he's going to be some kind of hybrid of Gasol on offense and Camby on defense. If that was the case he would have gone first without question. But similar style of play on each side of the court to those 2. And I'm talking young Memphis Grizzlies Pau. Not older Pau.
Yeah people have been making Pau Gasol comparisons, might be something to that.
 
Kabongele played well at the end of the season, much better with us than LA.. I see him as a power forward, rather than a center.. He is built like Randle, and has been on off from three point range, but consistent from the stripe.. So I think his three point percentage can improve, and if it does he sticks.. I think we will use him when we face lineups that are heavy up front.. If anything he pairs well with Mobley, maybe better than Allen pairs with Mobley..
 
He's more of a tall wing than Giannis was. If Gianni's was like this coming out, we would have taken him at 1
 
You read people's comps in this thread -- and get very confused as to why Giannis was the #15 pick in one of the weakest drafts in NBA history...

Giannis developed into a superstar with PG skills and handles -- he came into the league extremely raw and less skilled in almost every facet of the game than Mobley is now.

For what its worth, I think AD is the best comp (as a player coming out of the draft) -- whether he develops into a star remains to be seen.
 

Evan Mobley is the Cleveland Cavaliers’ new face -- which comes with pressure he’s ready to meet​

Mobley is Cleveland’s highest draft pick since Andrew Wiggins was taken first in 2014 and then flipped to Minnesota for Kevin Love. Mobley is considered one of three franchise-changers in a draft class that could rival 2003 -- LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade (sorry, Darko Milicic). After three years of losing, Mobley is supposed to be the piece to reverse the organization’s fortunes. Collin Sexton, Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro weren’t on Cavaliers’ owned-and-operated billboards.

 

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