“I can’t go like nonexistent sometimes.”
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley’s offensive improvements year over year have been undeniable. He went from mostly a rim finisher to someone who could generate his own offense, facilitate, and be a credible three-point shooter. That improvement landed him on his first All-Star team and likely a spot on an All-NBA team.
More importantly, Mobley has shown to be the difference maker in high-level matchups throughout the season. Opponents can handle or at least make it difficult for dynamic guards like Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. They have ways of taking away ball movement, as the Indiana Pacers showed in the second round. But they usually don’t have an easy answer for a seven-foot unicorn that can beat mismatches and drop coverage with his shooting, playmaking, and ability to get to the basket.
That usefulness has been repeatedly seen in marquee matchups, but it also disappeared late in many of those matchups as well. That needs to change.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson took the blame for those disappearances early in the season. Most notably in their November matchup against the Boston Celtics, where Mobley scored 14 points in the third quarter to get them back into game and then didn’t attempt a shot in the fourth,
Atkinson called it an “important lesson for me” and said that the team needed to “seek him out” after the early-season loss to Boston.
While yes, this is a lesson that the Cavs coaching staff and guards should’ve learned early on and applied in Game 5 against the Pacer, it’s also something Mobley could’ve helped prevent.
“I gotta be more active out there on the floor,” Mobley said during his end-of-season media availability. “As much as possible. I can’t go like nonexistent sometimes.”
The Cavs are always better off when Mobley is existent as he was at the beginning of Game 5.
Indiana did their best to limit the drive-and-kick game. They did a great job of staying out of rotations and made it a one-on-one battle. That’s part of the reason why Mitchell was so successful as a scorer. Those opportunities were also there for Mobley as well.
Mobley’s face-up game has improved thanks to drastic leaps from his outside shot and handle. You can’t just hang back in the paint waiting for him to get there. Defenders have to come out to the three-point line. And when they do, Mobley showed he could consistently beat them off the dribble.
These plays weren’t about the Cavs running something to get Mobley involved. It was mostly about him going out there and rightfully calling his own number the way star players do.
That didn’t carry over into the final two quarters of Game 5. Mobley attempted six shots in the second half. That was less than Mitchell (14), De’Andre Hunter (nine), Max Strus (eight), and Garland (seven).
Mobley took and made Cleveland’s first shot out of the break by taking it inside the post. From there, his shot attempts either came directly off a pass or were from grabbing offensive rebounds.
While those things are areas you want to take advantage of, they’re also passive shots that are the result of someone else’s work. Those shouldn’t be the only way a star gets shots. They also aren’t from aggressively forcing the issue and seeking your own shot.
That’s what he was doing in the first half. That’s what the Cavs needed him to continue doing.
Mobley was still Cleveland’s best player in Game 5. He finished with 24 points on 8-12 shooting with 12 rebounds.
The idea that Mobley will determine this team’s ceiling and future isn’t unique. It’s been repeated by nearly everyone within the Cavaliers’ organization. But for that to happen, he needs to seize the opportunities in the biggest games in a way he didn’t consistently do this season, including in the Game 5 loss.
The Cavs can’t afford to have him stand on the side and watch when the game — or in this case, the season — goes down in flames. No, Mobley needs to take the reins and assert himself into the action in a way that can’t be ignored.
Mobley knows this. The next step is consistently putting it into action.
“I just go to do a better job of just staying active all the time,” Mobley said. “Next summer, that’s going to be my main focus. And, how do I get even more balanced out? And just get better year by year with that. I think we’re definitely going to get there.”