The Cleveland Cavaliers are running away with the Eastern Conference, at least during the regular season so far, and new head coach Kenny Atkinson has been a major factor.
By speeding up the Cavs’ offense, he has made them into a juggernaut on that end of the floor that is second in points per game and field-goal percentage and first in offensive rating and 3-point accuracy.
Another factor has been the development of starting power forward Evan Mobley, who is averaging 18.5 points a game and starting to tap into his potential.
Atkinson talked about Mobley’s potential and said the 23-year-old has plenty of ambition, per SiriusXM NBA Radio.
“He wants to be one of the greats,” Atkinson said.
"He wants to be one of the greats."
Kenny Atkinson on Evan Mobley's potential#NBAAllStar @VinceGoodwill @DarthAmin pic.twitter.com/RyfP8k1CjL
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) February 14, 2025
When he was the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Mobley was compared to Anthony Davis and even Kevin Garnett because of his ability to handle the ball and create on the perimeter to go along with his ability to score inside and block shots.
In his first three seasons, he seemed to plateau offensively in terms of his scoring average, but this season has been a bit different.
Last Wednesday, he scored 30 points in a win over the upstart Detroit Pistons, to go along with seven assists, and he then scored 27 points two days later and 28 points on Monday of this week versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Back on Dec. 7, he poured in 41 points on 16-of-23 shooting while making six 3-pointers.
Yes, Mobley has also added the 3-point shot to his arsenal — he’s only averaging 2.8 3-point attempts a game, but he has made 37.8 percent of them this season.
If he continues on this season’s trajectory, perhaps those comparisons to Davis and Garnett won’t be far-fetched within a few years.
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