These are two entirely different players despite a similar frame....maybe they develop to be similar players but I doubt they will even work on the same things because they will likely be used differently. Mobley is definitely more in the traditional rim protecting/help side big defensively and a pick and roll/pop partner on the offensive end while Smith is more like a really tall wing who excels more as a switchy wing defender with size defensively and offensively you can run him off screens to get him clean looks. I think of Smith as a younger(before he learned to create his own shot and was just a shooter), much taller and better defensive version of Kris Middleton and Mobley has more of the Tim Duncan skillset but with a little more range as a modern big. The reason why their role as players is important is "higher ceiling" when it comes to bigs by and large depends not just on how good they will be as players but how important you consider the traditional big role in the modern NBA. There are teams that prefer to find the most versatile big who can still plays like a wing(and guard wings) - think the small ball teams like GS...and there are also teams that are doubling down on more traditional big skill sets - think the new Twolves with KAT and Gobert or the Sixers utilizing a more traditional rim/protecting back the basket wing in Embid. The Bucks are probably the most interesting of those teams because they go "small" with Giannis and go big by bringing Lopez in...or even the Celtics this year with Horford as their "big" is an interesting hybrid. I think the gold standard right now is a Giannis type of player who can be both a traditional shot blocking and rebounding big but ALSO play a wing role on the court and for everyone who is NOT lucky enough to have a player that versatile, then that team has to decide what skill set is more important and prioritize accordingly and where you stand on that issue by and large determines the value of a ceiling on a player like Smith vs Mobley because Smith probably walks into the league with more of the wing skills and less of the big ones, and Mobley is the opposite while both have some overlapping skills as defensive footwork maestros.
I think if you are starting from scratch the team full of wings is the coming thing and will be the model for many years to come. The teams that still want to go with the traditional center are largely grandfathered into it by the personnel they have sunk their cap into (Sixers, Minn). I don’t see any up and coming teams in the next decade looking to the center centric approach.
Yeah - totally agree. I think the trend is the team with the most skilled number of players 1-5 tends to be more successful. Offenses and defenses have figured out how to scheme against less versatile bigs so your teams choice is really based on personnel on who can check the most boxes without being a complete liability in a few areas. I think this Twolves experiment is interesting though because while KAT is a traditional big by all measure, he doesn’t defend the rim and after Memphis exposed that this year, it’s interesting seeing them gamble on Gobert to supplement that. At first I thought, there is no way it can work but now I’m coming around to the idea that there is a chance it could work well and if so - how will that change the perception of team building?
Obviously they both need high ceilings if they continue growing past 7ft. Hot take for not even seeing a minute of Smith as a pro...
Even though I was a huge Mobley fan last year I still believe Smith will become a better two-way player than Evan
Yeah, he did have handles and had dribble-drive ability, not saying he was great at it or was facing people up from the perimeter but he had a more advanced handle.
Compare Jabari's body and frame to Giannis at 19..they're actually pretty similar. Jabari just turned 19 a couple months ago so it's possible he grows half an inch taller maybe? He's going to add more muscle to that already impressive frame for sure. Giannis wingspan is recorded at 7'3 now, and Jabari now is at 7'2. His defensive instincts and footwork is already awesome so mentally he's already there. Now it's just about getting experience.
Smith is not a more natural scorer the only thing scoring he is better at than Mobley is 3 point shooting. People need to stop acting like all Mobley can do offensively is dunks and putbacks.
Green over Ivey until Ivey can show us what we can do against NBA level defenses. Get back with me at the end of the season.
Finding a Jalen Green is much harder than Evan Mobley in the Draft. Evan Mobley played Power Forward Almost the Whole Year because of Jarrett Allen. Jarrett Allen did the Heavy Lifting while Evan played as a Weak Side Shot Blocker. During the Draft I did believe Evan Mobley played cant play Center right now, which was correct and Jarrett Allen Covered that Position. I believe Evan Mobley struggled in the Playoffs playing Center while Jarrett Allen was injured.
16/8/3 is amazing for a rookie. Is that supposed to demonstrate Mobley having a weak second half of the season? His average before that stretch was 14/8/2.4 on 49/34/78 splits. Scottie Barnes won ROY with 15/8/3.5 on 49/30/74 splits.
