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LAS VEGAS – Evan Mobley took Isaac Okoro’s pass near the left wing, dribbled once towards the basket, took a few long strides and climbed to the edge, shaking a bump in the air while falling into a left-handed layup.
The summer league youngster’s first basket, which came about three minutes into the game, highlighted the unique skills that made him the No.3 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft – and a guy the Cleveland Cavaliers are hoping to help turn the franchise around. fortunes someday soon.
At 20, the fluid 7-footer with modern indoor-outdoor play has only just begun.
“It was a good first game. I feel like I got where I wanted to but the blows didn’t fall tonight, ”said Mobley. “I’m just going to keep doing the same.”
Mobley’s other five buckets in the 84-76 loss to the Houston Rockets presented themselves in a variety of ways – a glimpse of his versatility. While he doesn’t play alongside a traditional point guard and is at times defended by Kenyon Martin Jr., who played 45 NBA games last season, there was an alley-oop in the fourth quarter, a two-handed thunder after an offensive rebound and quick pullback against Rockets first-round pick Alperen Sengun, another driving float and a face-up right elbow jumper that indicated his range of development.
Even though Mobley struggled to convert consistently on his planned Las Vegas debut, the tall man who played both frontline positions was able to get to his seats and create some quality looks. He became more assertive as the game progressed.
As coach JJ Outlaw said, it’s about the process rather than the results at this time of year.
“I thought he did really well,” Outlaw said. “He loves competition. He plays with an engine, he plays at a high level. I think as a team we have to do a better job of getting the ball to him in the scorer positions, in the timing, but I think that’s something we need to improve overall in as a team.
The Cleveland youngster finished with 12 of 6 of 17 points from the field and 0 of 2 from beyond the arc. He also committed his share of rookie mistakes, committing five turnovers including the first game of the game when he attempted to connect with Lamar Stevens on a back pass that bounced out of his reach and down the line. basic. Mobley’s strength, another question mark, was tested in the post. Late in the game, as he tried to bring about a comeback, the svelte Mobley, listed at 210 pounds, was stranded. He was also surprisingly smothered on the block by swingman Josh Christopher, which led to a turnover.
“Representatives, Representatives, Representatives,” Outlaw said. “We wanted to give him the ball in different ways, in different places on the pitch tonight. I thought we did. We had him on the elbow. He had a few ISO situations. We brought it to him in the neighborhood. We brought it to him in the field. We got it by pick and roll. And so it’s more about taking this film, taking what happened and seeing where it’s most comfortable. We obviously do not want him to manipulate, manipulate, manipulate and necessarily have to put the ball on the ground a whole bunch. We don’t want someone just out there dribbling. But as we play, as he gets more reps, we’ll become more comfortable knowing where he likes the ball on the ground and where he’s the most efficient.
Still, after one night, it looks like Mobley’s biggest impact could come from the defensive side. Much needed for a team that has been laughable at this end of the field for the past three years, placing 25th in 2020-21.
Anchoring the midfielder like he did in college, Mobley hit three shots, causing the crowd inside the UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center to gasp with each release while his new teammates – Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Jarrett Allen, Dean Wade and Dylan Windler – enthusiastically jumped up and down near the bench. Mobley also moved on to smaller guards, showing off a foot speed and quickness rare for someone his size. That presence has led to a handful of other changes as well, keeping the Rockets at 36.3 percent shots.
“The defensive teams in this league are winning,” Outlaw said. “Teams that are really good defensively give themselves the best chance of winning at the end of the day. He can certainly bring that to our team, to our organization. “
Sunday’s game was one of the most high-profile on the Summer League roster. It featured picks 2 and 3 in the draft.
Mobley’s patchy performance was more muted than his rookie counterpart Jalen Green, selected a spot ahead of Cleveland’s newest building block. Green, who entered the NBA with a scoring reputation after an explosive season with the G League Ignite, has repeatedly dazzled the crowd with smooth pullovers, athletic workouts to the basket and artful finishes in the lane. He had the best on sophomores from Cleveland Okoro and Stevens. In a star-studded showdown on draft night, in front of scouts, executives, coaches and a pinch of NBA players sitting at the edge of the court, the second pick stole the show.
Green led all scorers with 23 points.
After the game, Mobley came out of the locker room with an ice pack around the outside of his right ankle. Mobley got scared on Sunday night, rolling that ankle after a post-whistle dunk attempt in the first half. He was expected to play three games, give or take, here in Vegas. Each is a learning experience. His next test would be on Wednesday – if the ankle, which Mobley classified as a “little adjustment” that feels “good,” allows him to adjust and take advantage of that performance.
Maybe he even hit some of the blows that didn’t land.
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