Heralded as the best defensive big man to enter the NBA Draft since Anthony Davis, expectations for Cleveland Cavaliers‘ rookie Evan Mobley are sky-high. What’s more, being drafted by one of the worst defensive teams in the league only further raised the bar for the young lottery pick.
Mobley made a name for himself at USC by being a freakish seven-footer with incredible length, agility and an impeccable knack for timing his contests. He managed to block 2.9 shots per game while only committing 1.8 fouls — giving Mobley one of the best block/foul ratios in recent NCAA history.
All of this made the big man an enticing prospect for the Cavaliers, who have not enjoyed a true shot-blocking center since… Zydrunas Ilgauskas? Sure, the recent acquisition of Jarrett Allen already somewhat solved this issue — but the Cavs still had quite a large defensive void to fill.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are counting on Evan Mobley to be a generational defensive talent who can revolutionize modern basketball.
In the 2018-19 NBA season, the Cavaliers posted the worst defensive rating in league history at 117.6. They were not much better in 2019-20 with a rating of 114.8 (last in the league) and even the additions of Allen, Isaac Okoro and a breakout defensive season from Larry Nance Jr. only helped them improve to 113.5 last season (25th in the NBA).
It is not difficult to point out the flaws in Cleveland’s defense. A backcourt of two 6’2” guards who are not exceptionally great shot contesters is an obvious weak point. Add a lack of multi-faceted wings who can switch on screens and a serious depth problem in the frontcourt and you have all the makings of a bottom-tier NBA defense.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the Cavaliers were pretty thrilled to add Mobley to the fray. His ability not only to protect the rim (Cleveland has ranked last in blocks in two of the last three seasons) but his versatility on the perimeter makes Mobley the perfect player to ease the pain.
Of course, nothing is ever so simple for Cleveland. While too many shot-blockers for a team that was recently devoid of all rim protection might seem like a good problem to have — the truth is, finding a way to play multiple seven-footers next to each other in the modern space-and-pace NBA is a challenge.
Cavaliers are experimenting with Mobley
Nonetheless, J.B. Bickerstaff is determined to make ‘Frobley’ work. This led to inconsistent results in the preseason, with some mad-scientist level experimentation taking place with three big lineups to address the constrained spacing and a fascinating zone defense to unleash Mobley on opposing ball handlers.
If you have not noticed, the Cavaliers are trying to do some strange things this season. In a league that has been moving towards small-ball as the meta, Cleveland is routinely pairing three seven-footers together in the frontcourt. All the while, Sexton and Garland make up the shortest backcourt in the league — giving the Cavs a wonky mix of undersized guards and oversized bigs.
To say this case study in a new brand of basketball is fascinating would be an understatement. There is no precedent in today’s NBA for a lineup like this. In order for this to work, the Cavs will have to make some revolutionary breakthroughs. And, Mobley is the key to making this all happen.
The offensive kinks will have to work themselves out. It was painfully obvious even in the preseason that a trio of Okoro, Mobley and Allen just is not going to cut it due to their supreme lack of 3-point shooting. With a limited amount of shooters on the roster, the Cavs might have to punt on being an elite offensive team this season.
Mobley’s mobility is special
However, where the real experimentation will take place is on defense where Mobley is already showing his regime-changing talents.
Mobley’s preseason numbers do not jump out at you. He only averaged 1.6 blocks and 1.0 steals per game and committed nearly three fouls a night (clearly there is a learning curve for 20-year-old rookies).
However, what does not show up in the stat sheet is Mobley’s otherworldly mobility. He has the size and length of a Rudy Gobert — but the nimble feet of a wing defender. Mobley faired well on the perimeter against ball-handlers and showcased that even when an offensive player feels like they have generated enough space for a shot, Mobley is still within reach due to his 7’4” wingspan (I am looking at you, Alex Caruso).
One of the most interesting aspects of Cleveland’s zone defense, which was briefly shown in their preseason finale against Indiana, was Mobley’s ability to be… well, everywhere. He was flying around the floor, breaking up screen-and-rolls on the left side only to bounce back to the right side of the court to deter a jump shooter.
Mobley’s (few) limitations
While having Mobley constantly in motion on the perimeter led to him being burned a few times by drives to the hoop — it should be noted how disruptive he could be at times due to his length and keen spatial awareness for a rookie. Mobley understands where to be and how to make opponents uncomfortable.
Another issue of the zone comes from the way it limits Mobley’s rim protection. Having your best shot-blocker hover on the perimeter takes away his greatest strength. And, it can not be good for your seven-footer to be exerting too much energy at the point of attack defensively.
It is clear that a good team full of elite shooters and high-IQ passers will pick Cleveland’s zone apart and force Mobley back into the paint. But, the idea of Mobley being the ultimate disruptor for brief spurts against lesser teams is an entertaining one.
Most of all, it is helpful to see the Cavaliers with options for the first time in a long time. Mobley can be used in a multitude of ways and this versatility was not available in the past. Bickerstaff will have free reign to be as creative as possible when utilizing Mobley.
Cleveland should be optimistic
The road to becoming a competent defensive team is still a long one for Cleveland. Furthermore, fans should be cautiously optimistic when placing expectations on a young center who has much to learn at the professional level.
With this being said, Mobley has flashed the immense upside that made him a consensus top-three pick entering the 2021 NBA Draft. If any rising star is capable of enforcing a new style of playing defense across the league — it is Evan Mobley.