[Official] Evan Mobley as a Cleveland Cavaliers thread

KPJ is actually more likely to pass to guys in different jerseys so maybe this was the best way for those two to establish chemistry.

 

[I.D.I.O.T.] stead of [Official]

 

Should have been our pick......a uniquely skilled big man is more valuable than an athletic wing. A better Marcus Camby....sigh....

But whatever.

DD

 

OMG we missed out on a better Camby!!



No but really

 

That is just a typical bad take from DD. Mobley's defense awareness and impact has been unmatched since Garnett. He is better than both Davis and Embiid at the same stage of their career while being much efficient in not fouling.

People miss the point when they read Mobley's stats. His scoring literally does not matter. If he becomes a 16-18 ppg scorer, that is more than enough. Mobley in his prime has a path to transcend generations and make the likes of Gobert look like crap (we know Gobert is crap against guards).

 

Well that's not true. Surely. Someone posted some whack top 5 list from someone who clearly hasn't watched a second of NBA this season, and had Jalen Green ranked as the #1 rookie so far.

 

My concern with Mobley has always been durability. After Ralph in the 80s and Yao 15 years ago, I didn't want to see the Rockets go through that again. The modern game is hell on 7 footers, pure hell.

 

Mobley's Cavs take on Barnes' Raptors tonight. Should be fireworks.

 

If by fireworks you mean fundamentally sound defense while playing within their offensive limitations.....yes.

 

A better - means....BETTER it was about his body type, NOOB!

DD

 

Mobley so good he scores for both teams....

 

Damn what a Unicorn

 

https://theathletic.com/2942035/202...vations-thoughts-and-more-on-the-cavs-rookie/

Mobley continues to showcase that he is the real deal. He impacts the Cavaliers on a nightly basis on both ends of the floor. And as the intrigue around him persists and grows through his rookie season, we are going to try something different here at The Athletic.

Each Monday, I am going to put out a notebook of observations, interesting statistics, quotes, things I’ve heard about Mobley and any interactions I’ve witnessed, among other things. We’ll also tap into our many NBA experts here at The Athletic to weigh in on the rookie in this space as the season progresses. I want to bring to you, the readers, as much as I can about the Cavs rookie during this important year for the franchise.

These will be known as Mobley Mondays (because who doesn’t love a good alliteration?!). This notebook will likely evolve as the season continues, but let’s jump into the first edition.

Mobley Observations

[…]

“He’s such an unselfish player and a willing passer that he’s watching the defense and digesting the defense,” Bickerstaff said. “But you’re gonna see pockets where he dominates on the offensive end of the floor, and puts a ton of pressure on people if they want to play him one-on-one, and then he’s gonna force some double teams and because he can pass it so well, now he’s gonna find his teammates also. So I think that’s one of the things that you’ll continue to see. But you see he still scores the ball. So, like, the longer he’s on the floor, good things happen because he’s just that type of player.”

Mobley still finds the basket and scores, but Bickerstaff believes Mobley can dominate offensively when the Cavs need him to. One of those moments was against the Knicks Sunday. He attacked the basket and got to the rim, shooting 73.3 percent from the field. He used his ball-handling and quickness to attack and get his shots.

He also stepped outside the arc and knocked down two threes. He has continued to work on his 3-point shot, spending time at the end of practices throughout the early portion of the season putting up shots on the perimeter.

What others are saying

I spoke with an Eastern Conference scout recently about Mobley’s early outlook at this point of the season. That scout said Mobley’s defensive presence and effort was the factor that stood out to him, and how he pairs his skillset with that effort.

The scout added that Mobley has shown that he both fits in with the Cavs and into the NBA this early in the season. It hasn’t taken him much time at all to settle in. Many rookies go through an adjustment period to the NBA, learning the nuances of the league and figuring out their place on their new team. Yet, the scout remarked how Mobley slid into the league with an ease so far, which impressed him.

Quote of the week

After the Cavs beat the Portland Trail Blazers at home Nov. 4 — Mobley finished with a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds — Bickerstaff was asked if Mobley’s mental or physical game was more impressive to him.

“I think it’s the mental side of it,” Bickerstaff said. “At his age, and his level of experience, like his intellect far outweighs what you see. And not only is he extremely bright, and he picks up things quickly, and he can pick them up in the moment. We have a conversation about something that’s happening in the pick-and-roll during that game. A lot of times, people (have to) go watch film, they (have to) go drill it. Evan sees and fixes it right away. So that’s the thing for me: It’s phenomenal that he’s that far ahead of the curve. And again, credit his dad, coaching him growing up. He taught him how to play the game the right way. How to think the game, and obviously, he took to it.”

Stats of the week

Mobley is 11 games into his rookie season. His 10th game came against Toronto on Friday, and through those first 10 games, he scored 138 points, grabbed 79 rebounds and dished 23 assists. He also had 10 steals and 14 blocks. Only three other players in NBA history recorded such numbers in their first 10 career games: Lamar Odom, Mychal Thompson, and Bill Walton.

Here’s another interesting stat: Mobley leads the league in contested shots, with 159 as of Nov. 6. On top of that, he is averaging 2.2 fouls per game. Bickerstaff credited Mobley’s intelligence with his ability to contest so many shots and not draw a high number of fouls.

“He plays the verticality game as well as anybody in our league,” Bickerstaff said. “And at his size, you see a lot of those shots that he’s contested have been on guards. So we have the flexibility to switch a lot of pick-and-rolls with him, and he can keep guys in front of him, and those guys want to take stepback contested 3s or challenge him at the rim; most times, it’s going to be an advantage of Evan. So I think, again, his flexibility and versatility gives him an opportunity to contest and be all over the floor, which is unique for a big guy. Most big guys just play at the rim, but he’s got the ability to contest shots on the perimeter as well.”

 

Let’s see how this impacts his game…

 

Credit to Ricky Rubio, Collin Sexton & Darius Garland

 

Where JG on this list, if KPJ passed him the ball more…