Evan Mobley - USC

[Big J]

Towns was a damn good prospect both on O and D. Some of his warning signs on D in college should have been red flags.

His offense turned out to be legendary. His defense much worse than expected.

In fact, Towns was a worse defender than Okafor statistically the first few seasons.

Star level centers that can't anchor defense (unless you are Jokic and can anchor an offense) don't have positive impact.

Yeah, Towns in College was putting up higher block volume than Mobley, but was also fouling like crazy in comparison. My memory may be incorrect, but I remember the narrative being that Towns was a superior prospect because he could protect the rim (over okafor). He was rocking a 7.6 dbpm so I think people had him pegged as a two way star big.

Towns 6.7 blocks per 100 and 8.8 personal fouls per 100
Mobley 5 blocks per 100 and 3.9 fouls per 100 (wow!)

Towns was an absolute defensive beast in college. He stopped caring on that end after he got drafted.

[CptCrunch]

Towns was a damn good prospect both on O and D. Some of his warning signs on D in college should have been red flags.

His offense turned out to be legendary. His defense much worse than expected.

In fact, Towns was a worse defender than Okafor statistically the first few seasons.

Star level centers that can't anchor defense (unless you are Jokic and can anchor an offense) don't have positive impact.

Yeah, Towns in College was putting up higher block volume than Mobley, but was also fouling like crazy in comparison. My memory may be incorrect, but I remember the narrative being that Towns was a superior prospect because he could protect the rim (over okafor). He was rocking a 7.6 dbpm so I think people had him pegged as a two way star big.

Towns 6.7 blocks per 100 and 8.8 personal fouls per 100
Mobley 5 blocks per 100 and 3.9 fouls per 100 (wow!)

Mobley's foul rate are even lower than Davis' in college. This man literally does not foul while playing elite defense. That is the mark of an defensive savant.

Towns was a damn good prospect both on O and D. Some of his warning signs on D in college should have been red flags.

His offense turned out to be legendary. His defense much worse than expected.

In fact, Towns was a worse defender than Okafor statistically the first few seasons.

Star level centers that can't anchor defense (unless you are Jokic and can anchor an offense) don't have positive impact.

Yeah, Towns in College was putting up higher block volume than Mobley, but was also fouling like crazy in comparison. My memory may be incorrect, but I remember the narrative being that Towns was a superior prospect because he could protect the rim (over okafor). He was rocking a 7.6 dbpm so I think people had him pegged as a two way star big.

Towns 6.7 blocks per 100 and 8.8 personal fouls per 100
Mobley 5 blocks per 100 and 3.9 fouls per 100 (wow!)

Towns was an absolute defensive beast in college. He stopped caring on that end after he got drafted.

Towns was clowning on kids in college based on his size and athleticism. in the NBA, he still bites on pumps and gets punished every other game. He also scaled back his aggressiveness so that he stays on the floor for offense. Towns' defensive basketball IQ, switching defense are both super suspect. In addition, his man defense is average at best due to his small base, high center of gravity.

[clyde21]

Towns was a damn good prospect both on O and D. Some of his warning signs on D in college should have been red flags.

His offense turned out to be legendary. His defense much worse than expected.

In fact, Towns was a worse defender than Okafor statistically the first few seasons.

Star level centers that can't anchor defense (unless you are Jokic and can anchor an offense) don't have positive impact.

Yeah, Towns in College was putting up higher block volume than Mobley, but was also fouling like crazy in comparison. My memory may be incorrect, but I remember the narrative being that Towns was a superior prospect because he could protect the rim (over okafor). He was rocking a 7.6 dbpm so I think people had him pegged as a two way star big.

Towns 6.7 blocks per 100 and 8.8 personal fouls per 100
Mobley 5 blocks per 100 and 3.9 fouls per 100 (wow!)

Towns was an absolute defensive beast in college. He stopped caring on that end after he got drafted.

huge foul rate for Towns indicates he was pretty overrated defensively, and it's typically a red flag, and we've seen that with how bad he's been defensively in the league so far.

Mobley is blocking almost as many shots on less than half the fouls.

3.9 fouls per 100 possessions for Mobes is absolutely absurd for a guy that contested/blocked as many shots as he did.

[clyde21]

tangent but Bol had almost an identical blocks/fouls ratio per 100poss as Mobley, and a huge reason why I was so big on him coming out (obviously on a much smaller sample size than Mobley).

high blocks / low foul ratios is probably the best sign of defensive IQ for a big.

[GSWFan1994]

Does anyone know Mobley's standing reach and wingspan compared to Anthony Davis? I'm too lazy to search right now.

[nolang1]

Towns was a damn good prospect both on O and D. Some of his warning signs on D in college should have been red flags.

His offense turned out to be legendary. His defense much worse than expected.

In fact, Towns was a worse defender than Okafor statistically the first few seasons.

Star level centers that can't anchor defense (unless you are Jokic and can anchor an offense) don't have positive impact.

Yeah, Towns in College was putting up higher block volume than Mobley, but was also fouling like crazy in comparison. My memory may be incorrect, but I remember the narrative being that Towns was a superior prospect because he could protect the rim (over okafor). He was rocking a 7.6 dbpm so I think people had him pegged as a two way star big.

Towns 6.7 blocks per 100 and 8.8 personal fouls per 100
Mobley 5 blocks per 100 and 3.9 fouls per 100 (wow!)

Yes, the fouls on Towns and JJJ should've been bigger red flags than they actually were (I mean Towns was obviously a #1 worthy pick but there was a time he was like the #1 trade value/who would you start your franchise with guy in the league, which was getting way too overeager). Mobley is definitely going to be a better defender than them, but there's a lot of room between them and being DPOY, and as a player who isn't a Jokic/Embiid type of outlier as a center he figures to be not a huge plus on offense.

Like you can say Myles Turner is a phenomenal defender, but there's a big gap between him and an Embiid/Gobert IMO because while all those players can be mitigated somewhat on defense by going 5-out, the other two are more capable of punishing it on the other end, and then on the other end of the spectrum there will be bulkier players that a Turner or Mobley will have more trouble with 1-on-1 in a way that will mitigate their help defense.

[tyguy]

Towns was a damn good prospect both on O and D. Some of his warning signs on D in college should have been red flags.

His offense turned out to be legendary. His defense much worse than expected.

In fact, Towns was a worse defender than Okafor statistically the first few seasons.

Star level centers that can't anchor defense (unless you are Jokic and can anchor an offense) don't have positive impact.

Yeah, Towns in College was putting up higher block volume than Mobley, but was also fouling like crazy in comparison. My memory may be incorrect, but I remember the narrative being that Towns was a superior prospect because he could protect the rim (over okafor). He was rocking a 7.6 dbpm so I think people had him pegged as a two way star big.

Towns 6.7 blocks per 100 and 8.8 personal fouls per 100
Mobley 5 blocks per 100 and 3.9 fouls per 100 (wow!)

Yes, the fouls on Towns and JJJ should've been bigger red flags than they actually were (I mean Towns was obviously a #1 worthy pick but there was a time he was like the #1 trade value/who would you start your franchise with guy in the league, which was getting way too overeager). Mobley is definitely going to be a better defender than them, but there's a lot of room between them and being DPOY, and as a player who isn't a Jokic/Embiid type of outlier as a center he figures to be not a huge plus on offense.

Like you can say Myles Turner is a phenomenal defender, but there's a big gap between him and an Embiid/Gobert IMO because while all those players can be mitigated somewhat on defense by going 5-out, the other two are more capable of punishing it on the other end, and then on the other end of the spectrum there will be bulkier players that a Turner or Mobley will have more trouble with 1-on-1 in a way that will mitigate their help defense.

Yeah, im hoping Mobley has a bit more potential on offense with is passing iq and being able to make some plays even with a live dribble.

[tyguy]

Does anyone know Mobley's standing reach and wingspan compared to Anthony Davis? I'm too lazy to search right now.

I think they only have old measurements from high school where he had a 7'4" wingspan.

[DonaldSanders]

I would take Mobley #1 and feel confident. Dude is legit, every team should be trying to find a way to pick him. I hope my team does!

[ThatBoyNick]

Does anyone know Mobley's standing reach and wingspan compared to Anthony Davis? I'm too lazy to search right now.

EM is 7'4 wingspan, AD is 7'6, both have a 9'0 standing reach

Evan's shoulders are much more narrow, his legs appear longer/hips appear higher, and Evans is coming in over a year older than when AD was drafted

Evan differentiates himself from many bigs in past drafts, but he's not on Ad's level, he was a clearly superior prospect and an obvious generational talent

[yoyoboy]

Does anyone know Mobley's standing reach and wingspan compared to Anthony Davis? I'm too lazy to search right now.

EM is 7'4 wingspan, AD is 7'6, both have a 9'0 standing reach

Evan's shoulders are much more narrow, his legs appear longer/hips appear higher, and Evans is coming in over a year older than when AD was drafted

Evan differentiates himself from many bigs in past drafts, but he's not on Ad's level, he was a clearly superior prospect and an obvious generational talent

Davis only having a 9'0 standing reach has always been so strange to me. Gobert's is 9'9 and LeBron's is 8'10. I would've never guessed AD is so much closer to LeBron considering LeBron doesn't look that long at all out there while Davis looks freakish.

[buzzkilloton]

https://www.theringer.com/2021/7/28/22596835/theres-no-prospect-like-evan-mobley

7footer who can do back flips. Thats why I'm so high on him the way he moves at his size. Hes going to be a true modern day big man. High floor and high ceiling pick.

[NO-KG-AI]

Does anyone know Mobley's standing reach and wingspan compared to Anthony Davis? I'm too lazy to search right now.

I still think there was something off with Davis (and Drummond that same year) with their measurements. They seemed extremely off on standing reach for their height, wingspan, neck, and frame combination compared to almost every prospect ivr evaluated.

[ILOVEIT]

Has ANYONE actually watched a full game of his?

James Wiseman has twice the skillset and even he has a couple years to go.

Mobley is mechanical, light in the backside....very little reliable skill set to speak of. If you want a 7 skinny guy blocking shots and not doing much else....ok. But that's it.

[Marcus]

Has ANYONE actually watched a full game of his?

James Wiseman has twice the skillset and even he has a couple years to go.

Mobley is mechanical, light in the backside....very little reliable skill set to speak of. If you want a 7 skinny guy blocking shots and not doing much else....ok. But that's it.

multiple games of his. made it a habit since he's playing down the street from the crib. Gotta disagree with twice the skillset statement. I understand why you say it but the issue with Wiseman is the understanding of using it. When James is doing big man things he makes all the sense in the world, problem is he wants to prove he can do other things and it goes awry when he does it. Mobes is defined in what he brings to the table. he's nowhere near as advanced as we're projecting him to be BUT the skills he has a baseline for he uses the correct way. Nothing is forced, nothing is out of place, we're not here ISOing from the corner and doing stepbacks because it would be cute to show it off. Passes are on time. handle is used efficiently, he does his job. Needs more size to do it at the next level but he understands his game and how it fits with what's going on on the floor. I don't see mechanical as much as i see calculated and playing within the flow. If anything the argument could be made there isn't enough takeover but even that i think will come with time.

[tyguy]

Has ANYONE actually watched a full game of his?

James Wiseman has twice the skillset and even he has a couple years to go.

Mobley is mechanical, light in the backside....very little reliable skill set to speak of. If you want a 7 skinny guy blocking shots and not doing much else....ok. But that's it.

[codydaze]

Has ANYONE actually watched a full game of his?

James Wiseman has twice the skillset and even he has a couple years to go.

Mobley is mechanical, light in the backside....very little reliable skill set to speak of. If you want a 7 skinny guy blocking shots and not doing much else....ok. But that's it.

multiple games of his. made it a habit since he's playing down the street from the crib. Gotta disagree with twice the skillset statement. I understand why you say it but the issue with Wiseman is the understanding of using it. When James is doing big man things he makes all the sense in the world, problem is he wants to prove he can do other things and it goes awry when he does it. Mobes is defined in what he brings to the table. he's nowhere near as advanced as we're projecting him to be BUT the skills he has a baseline for he uses the correct way. Nothing is forced, nothing is out of place, we're not here ISOing from the corner and doing stepbacks because it would be cute to show it off. Passes are on time. handle is used efficiently, he does his job. Needs more size to do it at the next level but he understands his game and how it fits with what's going on on the floor. I don't see mechanical as much as i see calculated and playing within the flow. If anything the argument could be made there isn't enough takeover but even that i think will come with time.

I think this is definitely the biggest criticism that can be thrown at Mobley but I do think that a lot of it was USC's offense as well. I can't tell you how many times he was at the elbow with position and the guards didn't even look to get him the ball. He does need to be more assertive in those situations but goodness those guards were pretty frustrating at times.

[Marcus]

Has ANYONE actually watched a full game of his?

James Wiseman has twice the skillset and even he has a couple years to go.

Mobley is mechanical, light in the backside....very little reliable skill set to speak of. If you want a 7 skinny guy blocking shots and not doing much else....ok. But that's it.

multiple games of his. made it a habit since he's playing down the street from the crib. Gotta disagree with twice the skillset statement. I understand why you say it but the issue with Wiseman is the understanding of using it. When James is doing big man things he makes all the sense in the world, problem is he wants to prove he can do other things and it goes awry when he does it. Mobes is defined in what he brings to the table. he's nowhere near as advanced as we're projecting him to be BUT the skills he has a baseline for he uses the correct way. Nothing is forced, nothing is out of place, we're not here ISOing from the corner and doing stepbacks because it would be cute to show it off. Passes are on time. handle is used efficiently, he does his job. Needs more size to do it at the next level but he understands his game and how it fits with what's going on on the floor. I don't see mechanical as much as i see calculated and playing within the flow. If anything the argument could be made there isn't enough takeover but even that i think will come with time.

I think this is definitely the biggest criticism that can be thrown at Mobley but I do think that a lot of it was USC's offense as well. I can't tell you how many times he was at the elbow with position and the guards didn't even look to get him the ball. He does need to be more assertive in those situations but goodness those guards were pretty frustrating at times.

yeah wasn't the best situation for him, which for me made what i did see that much more impressive. he found ways to be uber effective without having to be a focal point offensively. The kid is only missing size. once he adds the weight the possibilities get spooky.

[ILOVEIT]

Has ANYONE actually watched a full game of his?

James Wiseman has twice the skillset and even he has a couple years to go.

Mobley is mechanical, light in the backside....very little reliable skill set to speak of. If you want a 7 skinny guy blocking shots and not doing much else....ok. But that's it.

multiple games of his. made it a habit since he's playing down the street from the crib. Gotta disagree with twice the skillset statement. I understand why you say it but the issue with Wiseman is the understanding of using it. When James is doing big man things he makes all the sense in the world, problem is he wants to prove he can do other things and it goes awry when he does it. Mobes is defined in what he brings to the table. he's nowhere near as advanced as we're projecting him to be BUT the skills he has a baseline for he uses the correct way. Nothing is forced, nothing is out of place, we're not here ISOing from the corner and doing stepbacks because it would be cute to show it off. Passes are on time. handle is used efficiently, he does his job. Needs more size to do it at the next level but he understands his game and how it fits with what's going on on the floor. I don't see mechanical as much as i see calculated and playing within the flow. If anything the argument could be made there isn't enough takeover but even that i think will come with time.

Fair. Probably disagree here.

When I think of drafting a center these days I just look at what he offers COMPARED TO MORE SKILLED WINGS.

Let's assume he has more game down the road to do other things....why would we want a 7 foot center (and no he will never be a Joker type) handling the ball or shooting from range at all if there are 4 other dudes that do it much better.

Anyway....I think the ceiling could maybe be Goober (intentional spelling) and I don't value that kind of player in todays game.

We'll all know in a couple of years.

[Marcus]

Has ANYONE actually watched a full game of his?

James Wiseman has twice the skillset and even he has a couple years to go.

Mobley is mechanical, light in the backside....very little reliable skill set to speak of. If you want a 7 skinny guy blocking shots and not doing much else....ok. But that's it.

multiple games of his. made it a habit since he's playing down the street from the crib. Gotta disagree with twice the skillset statement. I understand why you say it but the issue with Wiseman is the understanding of using it. When James is doing big man things he makes all the sense in the world, problem is he wants to prove he can do other things and it goes awry when he does it. Mobes is defined in what he brings to the table. he's nowhere near as advanced as we're projecting him to be BUT the skills he has a baseline for he uses the correct way. Nothing is forced, nothing is out of place, we're not here ISOing from the corner and doing stepbacks because it would be cute to show it off. Passes are on time. handle is used efficiently, he does his job. Needs more size to do it at the next level but he understands his game and how it fits with what's going on on the floor. I don't see mechanical as much as i see calculated and playing within the flow. If anything the argument could be made there isn't enough takeover but even that i think will come with time.

Fair. Probably disagree here.

When I think of drafting a center these days I just look at what he offers COMPARED TO MORE SKILLED WINGS.

Let's assume he has more game down the road to do other things....why would we want a 7 foot center (and no he will never be a Joker type) handling the ball or shooting from range at all if there are 4 other dudes that do it much better.

Anyway....I think the ceiling could maybe be Goober (intentional spelling) and I don't value that kind of player in todays game.

We'll all know in a couple of years.

fair enough. i know the wave is small ball. I've been on the side of skill kills for a while now and skill with size is the realest prize is my new thing (don't judge my corniness) Mobes for sure won't be Joker (cause that mofo is an alien when it comes to bigman passing) but i do think the potential of being an offensive hub in spurts if not always is there. He's going to be more than just a DPOY value guy but time will tell. Good talk.