Evan Mobley - USC

[DCasey91]

Mobley is a stud muffin 100% in the 1 best of group in the draft class.

Somewhere like Bosh with less scoring/rebounding but more defensive and I suspect a better facilitator.

I cant get too high on his rebounding though. His ORB is good but his hands is what ticks him down a tad. Does snatch, double grab and noodle arm it sometimes, it’s not a strength thing more touch related.

No wear near Garuba bad but still not quite where I’d like it. Jalen Green has great hands and touch on the finish like a feather something that doesn’t show up in the box stats.

His midrange is coming along great and his passing sticks out. Can handle the rock and put it on the floor.

18/9/4/2/1 with All NBA defensive impact and a super high tier ancillary piece to a superstar is $$$. By third year is going to be great news for Mobley fans.

His blocking instincts are incredible and the mobility in his hips makes him all the way versatile just moves effortlessly from spot to spot. Just gotta spend two seasons in the weight room and that’s that.

Skill related he’s obviously top tier stuff.

His mold-ability as we’ve all discussed is insanely high and probably the best in the class.

Man, you sound like an used car salesman!

Appreciate your posts though, good analysis.

Used to do sales as a teenager man looking back the pay was bogus (commission) but the atmosphere was fun as. Legit no PC talk at all. Guys and women all ages all bad as each other lol but his was late 2009 though. Probably still the same! Haha

My favorite one was “You couldn’t sell sand to the Arabs.”

Then the comeback was “Well you couldn’t sell escorts to a 30 yr old virgin.” That was from a 50yr old lady mind you

The whole workplace was in raptures.

[azcatz11]

lol @ people who thought he was 6-9 earlier in the thread...he's a legit 7 footer with a 7-5 w/s.

@Charmin @EvanZ

[yoyoboy]

lol @ people who thought he was 6-9 earlier in the thread...he's a legit 7 footer with a 7-5 w/s.

People actually said that? I don’t know somebody could watch Mobley in college and conclude he’s too short lmao.

[Marcus]

lol @ people who thought he was 6-9 earlier in the thread...he's a legit 7 footer with a 7-5 w/s.

People actually said that? I don’t know somebody could watch Mobley in college and conclude he’s too short lmao.

Some folks would rather be right than be accurate

[CptCrunch]

7 footer with no history of injury, high basketball IQ, defends like Embiid, solid offensive skills, advanced stats off the charts.

Gonna be #3 pick smh. 1990's GMs on suicide watch.

[Marcus]

Still on my modern day Tim Duncan comp feet firmly planted on that hill

[clyde21]

Still on my modern day Tim Duncan comp feet firmly planted on that hill

im with u on that one my guy

[clyde21]

7 footer with no history of injury, high basketball IQ, defends like Embiid, solid offensive skills, advanced stats off the charts.

Gonna be #3 pick smh. 1990's GMs on suicide watch.

the most important part is his multi-level mobility on both ends of the floor, that's the differentiator between him and a guy like Wiseman as a prospect, who shouldn't have been a top 3 (or even top 5) pick.

[Duke4life831]

7 footer with no history of injury, high basketball IQ, defends like Embiid, solid offensive skills, advanced stats off the charts.

Gonna be #3 pick smh. 1990's GMs on suicide watch.

the most important part is his multi-level mobility on both ends of the floor, that's the differentiator between him and a guy like Wiseman as a prospect, who shouldn't have been a top 3 (or even top 5) pick.

Ya the difference between Mobley and Wiseman as prospects is pretty damn huge.

Defensive awareness/IQ: Wiseman has none, there is no natural feel for him on the defensive end, never has been. While Mobley has fantastic defensive IQ and awareness. You can tell that kid has been studying the defensive end for years. Just knows where and when to be somewhere.

Mobility: Wiseman is a strong athlete and probably has better hops than Mobley. But just watch them move, Mobley is very fluid and agile, while Wiseman is stiff and slow footed. Mobley gets in his defensive stance and just moves so well on the defensive end. Perfect in today's perimeter and PnR oriented offenses.

Offensively: This to me cant be stated enough. Wiseman all the way up until GS was a high usage low post scoring big man. That was always his game. The NBA doesnt play that game anymore unless youre Jokic or Embiid. And even them their games are super versatile. Mobley on the other hand, he plays within a perimeter oriented offense beautifully. He sets screens, able to handle the ball on the perimeter and make quick reads and quick passes. He plays within the flow very well. Add in the fact he has fantastic touch around the rim and a very workable jumper. Its very easy to see him fitting in right away, then give him a couple years to put on a little strength, tighten the low post moves a little and tighten up that jumper, he will then be able to play within the flow of the offense, but also get his own when needed.

The gap between those two as prospects is huge. And I know you and I were some of the few that were screaming at the top of the mountain tops this time last year that Wiseman shouldn't be a high pick.

[BlazersBroncos]

Still on my modern day Tim Duncan comp feet firmly planted on that hill

I have gotten to this point. I think Mobley is in a tier of his own.

I have no clue how he isnt the consensus 1st overall prospect outside recency bias making people lean toward non-bigs, which is nuts when you realize AD, Giannis and Ayton are all bigs lol.

[tyguy]

According to the Lowe podcast OKC was targeting Mobley with their trade up with Detroit. Sam Presti certainly knows what's up.

[Marcus]

Still on my modern day Tim Duncan comp feet firmly planted on that hill

im with u on that one my guy

*insert Denzel Training Day meme*

[Marcus]

7 footer with no history of injury, high basketball IQ, defends like Embiid, solid offensive skills, advanced stats off the charts.

Gonna be #3 pick smh. 1990's GMs on suicide watch.

the most important part is his multi-level mobility on both ends of the floor, that's the differentiator between him and a guy like Wiseman as a prospect, who shouldn't have been a top 3 (or even top 5) pick.

Ya the difference between Mobley and Wiseman as prospects is pretty damn huge.

Defensive awareness/IQ: Wiseman has none, there is no natural feel for him on the defensive end, never has been. While Mobley has fantastic defensive IQ and awareness. You can tell that kid has been studying the defensive end for years. Just knows where and when to be somewhere.

Mobility: Wiseman is a strong athlete and probably has better hops than Mobley. But just watch them move, Mobley is very fluid and agile, while Wiseman is stiff and slow footed. Mobley gets in his defensive stance and just moves so well on the defensive end. Perfect in today's perimeter and PnR oriented offenses.

Offensively: This to me cant be stated enough. Wiseman all the way up until GS was a high usage low post scoring big man. That was always his game. The NBA doesnt play that game anymore unless youre Jokic or Embiid. And even them their games are super versatile. Mobley on the other hand, he plays within a perimeter oriented offense beautifully. He sets screens, able to handle the ball on the perimeter and make quick reads and quick passes. He plays within the flow very well. Add in the fact he has fantastic touch around the rim and a very workable jumper. Its very easy to see him fitting in right away, then give him a couple years to put on a little strength, tighten the low post moves a little and tighten up that jumper, he will then be able to play within the flow of the offense, but also get his own when needed.

The gap between those two as prospects is huge. And I know you and I were some of the few that were screaming at the top of the mountain tops this time last year that Wiseman shouldn't be a high pick.

Everything you just said about Mobes is why i see the comp i see for him. The era helped shaped Timmy legacy wise but watch how his game changed based on what Pop's system needed and you get exactly what Timmy would have brought to the table had he came into the league right now in Mobes. That baby hook when space permits is going to be money and eventually you do with Mobes what i've ALWAYS thought should have been done with KAT, which is feed at high post and let him make decisions, the triple threat from there and the carousel distribution that can come from it gives him so much value on the offensive end and we already know how valuable he is on the defensive side of the ball.

[tyguy]

Read on Twitter

?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1420103916851765259%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=

Everybody just dying to move up to grab Mobley should tell you who the actual best prospect in the draft is.

[Marcus]

Still on my modern day Tim Duncan comp feet firmly planted on that hill

I have gotten to this point. I think Mobley is in a tier of his own.

I have no clue how he isnt the consensus 1st overall prospect outside recency bias making people lean toward non-bigs, which is nuts when you realize AD, Giannis and Ayton are all bigs lol.

the concept that bigs are obsolete is so loud. the problem is folks don't put the proper caveat on it. Skilled bigs will NEVER go out of style. Size combined with skill is the most coveted combo in the entire league no matter what position it plays. You would think that much would be obvious from just watching the game.

[Duke4life831]

the most important part is his multi-level mobility on both ends of the floor, that's the differentiator between him and a guy like Wiseman as a prospect, who shouldn't have been a top 3 (or even top 5) pick.

Ya the difference between Mobley and Wiseman as prospects is pretty damn huge.

Defensive awareness/IQ: Wiseman has none, there is no natural feel for him on the defensive end, never has been. While Mobley has fantastic defensive IQ and awareness. You can tell that kid has been studying the defensive end for years. Just knows where and when to be somewhere.

Mobility: Wiseman is a strong athlete and probably has better hops than Mobley. But just watch them move, Mobley is very fluid and agile, while Wiseman is stiff and slow footed. Mobley gets in his defensive stance and just moves so well on the defensive end. Perfect in today's perimeter and PnR oriented offenses.

Offensively: This to me cant be stated enough. Wiseman all the way up until GS was a high usage low post scoring big man. That was always his game. The NBA doesnt play that game anymore unless youre Jokic or Embiid. And even them their games are super versatile. Mobley on the other hand, he plays within a perimeter oriented offense beautifully. He sets screens, able to handle the ball on the perimeter and make quick reads and quick passes. He plays within the flow very well. Add in the fact he has fantastic touch around the rim and a very workable jumper. Its very easy to see him fitting in right away, then give him a couple years to put on a little strength, tighten the low post moves a little and tighten up that jumper, he will then be able to play within the flow of the offense, but also get his own when needed.

The gap between those two as prospects is huge. And I know you and I were some of the few that were screaming at the top of the mountain tops this time last year that Wiseman shouldn't be a high pick.

Everything you just said about Mobes is why i see the comp i see for him. The era helped shaped Timmy legacy wise but watch how his game changed based on what Pop's system needed and you get exactly what Timmy would have brought to the table had he came into the league right now in Mobes. That baby hook when space permits is going to be money and eventually you do with Mobes what i've ALWAYS thought should have been done with KAT, which is feed at high post and let him make decisions, the triple threat from there and the carousel distribution that can come from it gives him so much value on the offensive end and we already know how valuable he is on the defensive side of the ball.

I think Mobley's hook is further along than Ayton's at the same stage. And if we look at Ayton now, that baby hook kept teams from being able to go small against them. I think day 1 Mobley will be able to do the same. He will be able to take advantage of smaller guys on him. Now I dont think he will be able to score 1 on 1 against bigs from day 1 (we saw Ayton still have this issue). But unlike Ayton, Mobley will be able to impact the offense in other ways. He plays much better out on the perimeter, he sees the court far better as well.

Then I think in a few years, Mobley will have at least enough grown man strength to at least handle himself and I think that jumper will come along as well. That is when I think Mobley will be able to score against anyone. Then you throw in the elite defensive side (and defense that should no doubt transfer to the NBA).

I want to slap you for making the Duncan comp haha, but ya I mean its hard to disagree when you take the time to break his game down haha.

[nolang1]

Still on my modern day Tim Duncan comp feet firmly planted on that hill

I have gotten to this point. I think Mobley is in a tier of his own.

I have no clue how he isnt the consensus 1st overall prospect outside recency bias making people lean toward non-bigs, which is nuts when you realize AD, Giannis and Ayton are all bigs lol.

the concept that bigs are obsolete is so loud. the problem is folks don't put the proper caveat on it. Skilled bigs will NEVER go out of style. Size combined with skill is the most coveted combo in the entire league no matter what position it plays. You would think that much would be obvious from just watching the game.

The problem is more that he's closer to kind of skilled than extremely skilled (shooting splits pretty similar to Marvin Bagley, who is someone you're not just going to leave wide open but at the same time isn't going to kill you from behind the arc, and of course Bagley was quite a bit younger his freshman season) and then is not quite that AD/Giannis type of physical outlier. I think it's fair to say some of his defense (which was amazing at the college level) will be mitigated both by more potent spread offenses and the stronger bigs who will outrebound him, post him up, or screen him out of plays, and then if one of his main indicators of offensive skill is passing out of double teams, I'm not sure he's going to be that dominant around the basket to warrant doubles in the first place.

[tidho]

The problem is more that he's closer to kind of skilled than extremely skilled (shooting splits pretty similar to Marvin Bagley, who is someone you're not just going to leave wide open but at the same time isn't going to kill you from behind the arc, and of course Bagley was quite a bit younger his freshman season) and then is not quite that AD/Giannis type of physical outlier. I think it's fair to say some of his defense (which was amazing at the college level) will be mitigated both by more potent spread offenses and the stronger bigs who will outrebound him, post him up, or screen him out of plays, and then if one of his main indicators of offensive skill is passing out of double teams, I'm not sure he's going to be that dominant around the basket to warrant doubles in the first place.

This is all true.

For some reason folks have chosen to convince themselves that a lot of work Mobley has ahead of him has already been completed. He's clearly got great upside, but they're envisioning him beyond where he is.

[clyde21]

Read on Twitter

?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1420103916851765259%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=

Everybody just dying to move up to grab Mobley should tell you who the actual best prospect in the draft is.

not gonna happen but wouldn't be mad at it at allll if the Warriors dropped Wiseman, #7 and #14 for #3.

[Marcus]

The problem is more that he's closer to kind of skilled than extremely skilled (shooting splits pretty similar to Marvin Bagley, who is someone you're not just going to leave wide open but at the same time isn't going to kill you from behind the arc, and of course Bagley was quite a bit younger his freshman season) and then is not quite that AD/Giannis type of physical outlier. I think it's fair to say some of his defense (which was amazing at the college level) will be mitigated both by more potent spread offenses and the stronger bigs who will outrebound him, post him up, or screen him out of plays, and then if one of his main indicators of offensive skill is passing out of double teams, I'm not sure he's going to be that dominant around the basket to warrant doubles in the first place.

This is all true.

For some reason folks have chosen to convince themselves that a lot of work Mobley has ahead of him has already been completed. He's clearly got great upside, but they're envisioning him beyond where he is.

All of what you're both saying makes sense if you're looking at him as staying this same size his entire career. I don't think anyone sees Mobes as a completed product or feels like he's a guarantee to complete what's necessary to get him to the level we envision him to be at. But why draft anyone if this is the mindset? Kind of the point is to predict what the investment would turn into and build your interest at the ground floor.

Most of what he can be will be predicated on whether or not he can add the necessary size to make any of what we're seeing viable at the next level. But even without the size he's a switchable defender with good rotational instincts on defense and someone at least worthy of trusting to make good decisions offensively. Not expecting defensive dominance day one, not expecting him to see doubles from the post or even be overtly effective on the block day one either, but you're also not drafting a finished product. The baseline he's coming in with, the translation of skill from one level to the next, and the things he does do well and what the improvement would look like is what you're drafting.

won't put him on the block for buckets until he gets rocks in his pocket but DHO into PnRs are doable, quick post on switches are doable, the occasional faceup from the elbow is doable. rebounding he's obviously going to have to get bigger to be truly effective but the other defensive aspects should translate fine with reps and exposure.