Cavaliers Luck Out Again with Evan Mobley

I am not a gambler, its just not my style. However, I’ll tell you what, the day I decide to play the lotto or  place a bet on MyBookie it will be in Cleveland, Ohio.

For the past 20 years, this franchise has just been  in the right place at the right time. The most well-known example was in 2003, being tied with the  Denver Nuggets at 22.5% chance of winning the #1 overall pick and on that fateful Spring evening, luck  bounced their way and they earned the right in drafted who many believe is the greatest player of all  time, LeBron James. Fast-forward to lottery night, May 17th 2011, a season removed from when LeBron  decided to take his talents to South Beach. Cleveland, having 19.9% odds, again are GIFTED with the #1 overall pick and top prospect Kyrie Irving becomes a Cavalier.

The fortune is far from over though. Two  seasons had passed, Cleveland still suffering the effects of losing LeBron, and in the 2013 NBA Draft  Lottery, with 15.6% odds, Cleveland obtains the #1 overall pick once more and chooses Anthony Bennett  (proving that luck can only take you so far).The very next seasons, the Cavaliers, with 1.7% odds (!!!)  AGAIN jump up to the #1 overall pick, drafting the best player to come out the NBA Draft since LeBron  James, (or so we thought) Andrew Wiggins. FYI, there was a 0.00012% chance for Cleveland to win 4  NBA Draft a Lotteries in 12 years. If you thought the city of Cleveland couldn’t get any luckier, this same  off-season the Cavaliers were blessed with having their prodigal Son, LeBron James, return home for one  last run at bringing a championship to the land. 

So, why did I just give you that history lesson? Because the Cleveland Cavaliers just lucked-out, again.  This past Thursday the Cavaliers with the #3 pick, selected USC standout Evan Mobley after Houston  passed up on him and selected Jalen Green instead, a fine prospect in his own right (I do, however,  disagree with that draft selection).

Mobley, as I described in my 2021 NBA Mock Draft recently, is a  special talent who would be the consensus #1 prospect in almost any other draft. His calling card is his  defensive ability where he displays his high basketball IQ both on the ball navigating through screens  and off the ball taking advantage of his length being 7ft with a 7’4 Wingspan, disrupting passing lanes  and putting a lid on the rim with his shot blocking prowess. He has the hips and lateral  movements needed to legitimately defend 1-5 and knows exactly how to time his shot contest and maneuver in mid air to avoid being called for a foul. Offensively he has the court vision to find the open  man and make the right reads, staying calm and composed under the pressure of double teams. While  he is no Nikola Jokic, there is no reason to believe he can’t be used in a similar role as he progresses. He  can handle with both his left and right hands effectively and owns a smooth mid-range J that I look for  him to extend to the 3-point line to maximize his offensive impact. Mobley has clean footwork down  low and seems comfortable bring the ball up the court even in fast break situations. Evan Mobley has  legit DPOY potential. 

In terms of projections to the next level, many of gone as far as to compare him to future HOFers  Anthony Davis and Chris Bosh. I myself liken him to a combination of Myles Turner and Bam Adebayo. Yes those comparisons seem a little extreme, and one might wonder if he has this kind of potential how  did he fall to #3?

I have the same question.

I can understand taking Cade Cunningham #1, when two  prospects are similar in talent the guard/wing will get the nod nowadays because the NBA has slowly  evolved away from the days of the Big. And I can give Houston a pass (for now) on picking Jalen Green due to his exciting offensive capabilities as well as his elite athletic profile. But in my humble opinion,  unless Jalen Green becomes this generations Micheal Jordan, Houston will lament passing on Evan Mobley. Give the big man some time, he might not win Rookie Of The Year, but he will have the city of  Cleveland counting their lucky stars for having a talent like him fall to their laps, Again.