I think Green is a higher motor guy than Mobley. I trust him to improve his defense and playmaking more than I trust Mobley to find a gear I dont see in any facet of his game. You aren't wrong as I have the same suspicions. I dont like that he seems to have a one track (Gotta score!) mind and tends to skew towards conserving energy towards the offensive side of the ball (hmmmm). I'm not convinced with *either* player but I'm less convinced with Mobley. Like I said earlier, I'm tired of linear players who only want to fill up stat sheets. The Suns basically had Booker (Green) and Ayton (Mobley) and couldn't put it together until CP3 (Suggs) got there. Not saying Suggs is the be all end all, but I trust him more to be a net positive than the other two. As long as his shots isn't like....Ben Simmons.
I'm not sure I agree, I don't think it's motor when it comes to Mobley, I think he's just a perfectionist who is unselfish to a fault and it comes across as not putting in the effort. If his effort really was in question he couldn't be the dominant defensive force he is. A LOT of defense is effort. I think he's just a lot more comfortable on defense because that part of his game is pretty well developed, so he feels more comfortable being more assertive on that side of the ball. I think the same will happen on offense once he develops that side of the ball more fully. As to Suggs, I like a lot about him.... but he doesn't shoot noticeably better than Mobley and that's unacceptable for a guard. Also with KPJ on the team already he'd be largely redundant. For the record I rate Suggs over Green overall, but the fit on the Rockets is highly suspect
I stated that Mobley had the luxury of having off games and being part of a good team and that he disappears at times - his stat lines were supplementary in those particular games - if not for his teammates they would have culminated in losses. It happens I get it. I mean if the college game isnt conducive to big games by post players why did Drew Timme tear Mobley up in the biggest game of the year? I'd expect a guy who some feel could be the first overall pick to leave no doubts that he is THAT GUY especially in the biggest game of his life. Baylor showed in the championship game how much this is a perimeter game and the bigs on Gonzaga were run off the court. I could probably argue that Charles Bassey deserves to be in the conversation. Will he be just as good a player as Evan Mobley? 31.4mpg/14.6ppg/.627fg/.45 3pt/ 10 rebs/.7 ast/2.4 blocks/.8 steal --- but I guarantee you I know where the discussion will wander! Bigs are secondary pieces in the modern NBA.
First of all, I love Bassey. I have long wanted him at 23/24. I think he will be a solid big in the NBA. But I am not sure he was playing the same level of comp in Conference USA that Mobley was in the PAC 12. I also dont think that Bassey has the same perimeter skills as Mobley. Regardless, point made that stats dont tell the whole story. As for the Gonzaga game, what can I say? Timme put it on Mobley. But dont sell Timme short. He may not be a major NBA prospect but the guy definitely has NBA size (6'10''/230) and won the Karl Malone award for the nations top PF. He isnt a slouch which is why he was a big part of at team that had a bevy of soon to be NBA pros on it. What you point out about bigs being secondary pieces is true, on offense. Successful defense, the other half of the game, requires either top shelf defenders all over the court or a big to cover for guys who aren't elite. The problems arise when the offense goes small forcing the bigs to cover in space. A guy with the size to defend the rim and the agility to cover the perimeter (for spells) is not a secondary piece on defense.
I think this is a pretty myopic way of looking at it. For one, by the end of last year, pre-CP3, they HAD put it together. And before discounting an 8-0 bubble run, it wasn't just that. They were above .500 with Ayton playing... unfortunately he missed half the year because of roids or whatever. For two, the rest of the squad, and Ayton himself, were still very young and not what they are today. Bridges, Johnson, Payne only played 2 games for them, Ayton wasn't as good. They all were getting better by the day. ABSOLUTELY, CP3 advanced that process. For three, know hat kind of players you have. Booker isn't Harden. He's way more than Klay, but he's a prototypical 2 guard that will get even better with the right PG next to him. My point, the Suns would have definitely been in the playoffs this year absent CP3. Somewhere around 4-6 imo. ABSOLUTELY, again, CP3 helps put it all together. I mean the dude is a first ballot HOF, somehow still playing at peak level. If CP3 went to the Nuggets instead of the Suns, the Nuggets are in the Finals. Whoever the Rockets take, I hope they realize the importance of full roster building. They sorely lacked that the last 8 years in DMs sole goal to just acquire as many stars as possible. Absolutely, stars are GREAT. But we've seen what happens when injury hits star heavy teams over and over... AND star heavy teams STILL need VERY solid role players around them. Look how important Bridges was to the Suns last night. How important was old Ray Allen to those Heat teams. How important was Iguodala to the Warriors. Etc. Whether Mobley, Green or something else... Rockets will still have A LOT of work to do to be on championship level, obviously.
Mobley had a 0 FGA attempt performance, but I see AD had a game in college where he played 39 minutes and had 2 shot attempts scoring a whopping 4 points
As much as I love Mobleys perimeter defense I am very worried a out his low post defense against stronger players. We saw Christian Wood get abused all season by all the bigs in the post. How is Mobley going to guard the Joel, Jokic, JV, Nurkic, AD, Giannis of the league. There's no shortage of strong bigs in this league right now
And the funny thing is the NBA is filled with "Drew Timme's" One of the selling points about Mobley is that he is going to be able to cover perimeter space right? A 7 footer with the athleticism to switch and cover ballhandlers. I don't see it. His "high booty" center of gravity is stupid high, almost abnormally. he will get bumped and will be playing chase to the rim because NBA guards and wings are a bit better than what he's seen so far - he will beat up some shots in recovery but this game changing defensive force is just not what I see - too light in the box/post and not fast enough on the wing. I'd love to see the draft workout tape of Mobley getting put up against some pro's in his visits to quell some of those apprehensions. Same with Cade. These guys haven't gone up against professionals yet. I don't dislike Mobley. Especially not to go creating narratives and turning into a petty, scorned pseudo-analyst because guys are not agreeing with my Jalen Green support. After deep dives Im not sure any of these guys are locks for super stardom. Which one of these guys will work the hardest? Wants it the most? Give me that guy. Make the workouts public so everyone can see these guys interview instead of just coddling and gifting them their places.
I agree fully that Green is a linear player who fills up the stat sheet - but on offense only. Mobley adds a strong element on the defensive side that isn't captured in a box score (shots altered, shots deterred, mistakes covered up), but is captured on advanced analytics and on team defense. Mobley was the #1 defender in NCAA last year - as a frosh. Suggs adds the intangibles (making others better, competitive intensity, will to win). I'd rank them Mobley-Suggs-Green today.
Im not saying this to be critical... but are there highlights of Mobley's perimeter defense against NBA level guard play? Like any of the college guards that we think should be solid NBA starters? My concern with Mobley guarding the perimeter is just his speed. Obviously, relative to past comps, he's as solid as anyone here. And Steph, Harden, Dame, Luka and the like are going to torch even the best of the best bigs. There's just a slowness to Mobley's game that I'm concerned about. Then everyonce in a while he'll break out legit speed and I'm like wow, where'd that come from. Cause he's just kind of galloping along in his moves, even his defense otherwise. It might just be his size, and its legit fast on the court just looks somewhat slow. To me, Mobley is one of those guys that I'm BEGGING to see in just ONE GAME, against legit NBA competition.
I appreciate this back and forth. Unfortunately, like politics, sports can also be tribal with your Green Gangs and Mobley Mobs. It's f***ing stupid. Last response I have is that Mobley played Gonzaga (Suggs), Oregon (Duarte), Stanford (Zaire Williams), & UConn (Bouknight). He has seen NBA level athleticism. If he was unable to play in space wouldn't those teams have gotten him switched onto those guys and have them put him on skates? Specifically Suggs and Bouknight?
I'm not worried about his defense. Maybe I'm a bit biased from the Morey era, but I think perimeter defense and switch ability is more important than low post defense. Guys like KG, Bosh, and early Pau Gasol could defend the post without needing bulk. Plus, I have no doubt that he will gain at least some weight and strength. He's 19 years old. His instincts and length are tools that won't go away, only built upon. What I'm worried about is his offense. He's all potential there. He's not a low post master and his thin frame might not allow him to abuse NBA defenders for awhile. His jump shot is still developing and the release is a little slow, there's no guarantee he'll develop reliable NBA range or a pullup game. Also, this is hopefully a short-term issue but we don't have guards that can run the PNR and throw alley oops anymore so that easy offense is gone. People act like scoring 25ppg is totally easy, but it's much harder for bigs than it is for guards. The bigs that can do it (Embiid, Jokic, KAT) are all super strong and good shooters to boot.
Polarizing topics can naturally be divisive, and unfortunately you are right things are more amplified nowadays for a variety of reasons. Everyone has a right to interpret things as they want. Its okay to want a certain guy over another. As ROX fans we havent been in this position for a long time and it feels personal for alot of us, but Im trying hard NOT to make this a civil war. There has been plenty of hyperbole and fiction injected from every angle and fanaticism has taken hold. Most everybody has spoken their peace and everything added now is just trying to destroy and discredit the other side and I think that is counter productive. To each his own - If Evan Mobley gets picked as a Houston Rocket I'll trust Stone enough to hope for the best. I watched the Gonzaga game highlights being his biggest game of the year and I just dont see a difference maker. I dont base my entire opinion of him on one game especially a blowout like this one, but I do value guys who can get it up for the biggest games. Mobley is pushed around on the block. Hesitant on the perimeter. On switches he lags and gives up easy midrange shots. Its just weird because almost everything you guys espouse about his defensive ability was exposed by Gonzaga. So then we go back and argue 'offensive potential' and measurables and preference for roster building. Its a revolving door at this point.
I am totally with you there. For me the question is whether he can reach like DPOY level defense or if he will just be a super solid defender that can stay on the floor when teams go small. As for his offense, I think its is guaranteed that he will be a huge lob threat with his length and he can be a weapon in transition as well. I think he could get 10-12 points just off of those two things and offensive rebounds. Add in a few assists a game and maybe a jumper here and there or a hook shot off of a switch when he has a guard on him and all of the sudden the guy is nearing 20 ppg.
These “unicorns” always seem to have injuries & can never carry a team by themselves Embidd, Porzing, AD always seem to be going through something injury related I say establish the backcourt with KPJ & Green(who seem hyped about each other) and then play around with big men in future drafts. We have a lot of picks to play around with. Jokic was a 2nd round pick so why roll the dice with our #2. Big men have a bad record of injuries and that just is what it is
I think too much have been focused on "when teams go small". While that happens, most contenders we see today still play a very big and strong center. Going small is something people use to counter slow footed centers, but it's usually very targeted based on match ups. If Mobley is as good as he is on the perimeter, teams would simply not go small and have their bigs out muscle him in the post. It's not like there are a lack of big strong centers in this league. And it's not just about defending the post either, it's also not getting pushed around on fighting for rebounds. I think Christian Wood was very worn down in many games when he has to fight bigger centers in the paint for position all the time. It affected him on offense too. It might take 2-3 seasons for Mobley to gain the muscles needed to be a true center, meanwhile you would need another big body in there.
Yes he will bring you wins. And hit winning shots. But a TEAM will have to be put around him. Green is the tip of the spear.
