Evan Mobley has an NBA body at 19. Versatile offensive bigs like him, KAT, JJJ, and even Ayton all pan out early. He was the safest pick in the draft. I don’t doubt Greens quickness, speed, and touch, but I fear the rockets were so enamored with Green’s impressive physical skills that they forgot he’s 6’5” 175. I’m not sure what he can do with that frame, putting 30 pounds on him only gets him to 205. To compare him to another skinny high schooler tearing it up for H-Tine, Kyle Tucker at age 24 only measures in at 6’5” 200, after 6 years of professional strength training. Comparing Green to H*rden is unfair, but we forget how much of a monster of a man he was at 6’5” 225, same size as Yordan Alvarez. He could simply bully guards and skinnier forwards to the rim. Can he bulk up like a Kobe and power his way to the rim as well as leaving guards in the dust at 205-210-ish? Or is he stuck taking floaters for the rest of his career at 195? Somebody call Dwade and ask him if he’s got spare HGH.
DWade also had a rediculous 6'11 wingspan. Even if the kid bulks up if we're lucky we end up with Steph Curry 2 with better hops. Steph however had perfect shooting form. He knew how to get by screens to create space and has such a rediculous speed on release. I remember getting Yao and Francis and remember them coming into the league thinking.. they are going to be amazing. Kobe came in at 17/18 by 19 years old they had a 15 ppg player. Green is only a few months younger than Mobley. Mobley is just tearing up the league. They are waiting to see how he does against players like Giannis Embiid Kat and ayton. Plus not all bigmen have been safe. Mo bamba is just rotting in orlando.
Zach Lavine came into the league weighing just 180 lbs…doubt he weighs much more than 200 now, but it’s not an issue for him and he finishes and gets to the rim with ease skill and shooting ability is much more important than strength
Mobley is clearly better than i thought he would be at this stage, BUT he also has real veteran point guards and teammates. You can see the flashes. He just has to put it all together. I think he will get it soon. He’s not 7 feet, so it’s going to take an adjustment to get used to the size of the NBA. Plus, we unfortunately don’t run any sets for easy buckets and don’t have a traditional point guard to feed him.
I am a Rocket fan first and foremost. I personally don’t care for Green. (He is a Rocket so now I am vested). Mobley center of gravity is to high so he will never be dominant under the rim. He is a backside or cover the gap type player only. Predraft I wanted to trade back with Orlando (#2 & #24 for #5 & #8) for 2 of 4 the Suggs, Barnes, Bouknight & Sengun and then use the pick in the 20s for Springer or Sharpe. So when we traded for Sengun I kinda got what I wanted. Then Garuba is a better product then Sharpe so… WIN But Green & Christopher < ((pick 1) Suggs or Bouknight) & Springer, IMO. We can’t turn back time. Go Rockets!
You know Mobley is not their starting center, right? he might guard them for a few, but that’s Allen’s job.
To me this is a good take. I went back and forth the day of the draft myself. If we had picked Mobley I wouldn't have been upset.
I made a comment the day before or the day of the draft (can’t remember) that I was starting to feel like we were making a huge mistake passing on Mobley because of his measurables in combination with his skill level. @D-rock won me over with his daily campaigning for Mobley lol. I didn’t fear his skinny frame because I always felt he’d get bigger and stronger, but I was concerned about his motor and high center of gravity so ultimately I was ok with the Green pick. Mobley obviously has unlimited potential depending on how he develops his body and how consistent his outside shot becomes. He can be great. In regards to Green, when he starts hitting on just 33-35% of his three pointers, lots of people in this thread are going to go quiet. You see it, it’s there. The first step and speed is elite and his passing is already further along than expected. He’s made some really impressive dishes to Wood and KPJ the first 2 games. Much better passes than anything we saw in summer league or preseason. Hitting his outside shot will completely unlock his game.
Mobleys the winner 3 games in for whatever that’s worth. I’d be pretty pumped in Cleveland. Green hasn’t put it all together but he’s shown a collection of the abilities that makes him so tantalizing. Just wait.
Yup - totally agree with this. I was always a little higher on Green than Mobley but I think they are both future Superstars. Especially agree that while Green’s stats to start the season don’t jump out at you, watching him it’s clear he has some real elite skills at 19 and just a little more consistency in his form will turn to points quickly. The defensive effort and passing in particular are much better than advertised even though he needs more strength to compete defensively and his teammates aren’t good enough to convert on at least some of Greens passes so far. Also seeing some improvements to his ball handling and use of screens already. Mobley wins 3 games into the season but it’s still very much a toss up on who the better long term player is.
Difference is Mobley is playing off other stud players who have years of NBA experience... Green is being asked to run the show for a bunch of dudes who were playing in 1500 max capacity gyms a year ago. Imagine if Sengun was there instead of Mobley. He'd probably put up 15/8 his rookie season, too.
LOL, are you really trying to argue that Green is "running the show" here? That's hilarious. Green and Mobley have basically the same usage....it's just that Mobley is actually good on both sides of the ball and Green....well, at least he's got people still making excuses for him.
He has never hit his outside shot consistently, ever - if that happens you will be correct....but there is no guarantee that with the hitch in his shot that he ever gets good at it. DD
Are you counting his year in the G League? He shot well there. 36.5% on 5.7 attempts per game from 3 isn't bad at all. 46% overall FG%.