For years, the Cleveland Cavaliers wanted Evan Mobley to take a leap forward.
The USC product showed flashes of impressive play, but he hadn’t been consistent.
He’s coming off winning Defensive Player of the Year and taking a big step as a scorer, and it seems like the major gamble the Cavs made on him is about to pay off.
Now, per Brian Windhorst, it’s all about taking yet another leap.
Talking on ESPN Cleveland, Windhorst stated that the Cavs were doing the right thing by betting on Mobley, but it was now up to him to prove that he could take his game to new lengths and be one of the top-tier players in this league:
“When we’re getting to Year 5, you’ve got an All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Star who led the team to 60 wins. Jackpot folks. That’s the jackpot,” Windhorst said. “Now, the question is, you’re already talking about a top one percent player, can he be a top half percent player? That’s the question, and that’s where the work gets very hard, and the Cavs are doing just fine betting on Evan Mobley.”
Of course, that will be easier said than done, and only a handful of players ever crack the top 1%, but Mobley definitely has that kind of talent.
He can be the most disruptive defensive force on the court because of his ability to hold his own on the perimeter and stay in front of smaller and quicker players, as well as his defensive prowess as a rim protector.
He just proved that he can also be an efficient three-level scorer, finally expanding his range and becoming a consistent three-point shooter in the first year under Kenny Atkinson’s tutelage.
The sky is the limit for Mobley, and while betting on one player is always a big risk, Mobley is and will continue to be the Cavaliers’ best shot at a top-five player.
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