Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach J.J. Outlaw recently offered some insight about the team’s goals for big man Evan Mobley in the NBA Summer League.
Outlaw is serving as the head coach of the Cavs’ Summer League team.
“One of the main goals Outlaw has for Mobley during Summer League is to learn the terminology and what his spacing on the floor looks like relative to what the Cavs are trying to accomplish,” wrote Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. “Outlaw said Mobley would play both power forward and center during Summer League, giving him an opportunity to learn and acclimate himself before the Cavs begin training camp. Mobley wants to use these upcoming games to gain experience and see how the league plays from a personal level.
“The Cavs don’t have a specific skill they want Mobley to focus on improving during Summer League and training camp. They recognize his playmaking, how he can handle the ball and his passing.”
Mobley was the third player off the board in the 2021 NBA Draft. Considered the best big man prospect in several years by many, he will have the chance to evolve into a star player at the professional level.
Outlaw went into detail about how one of the biggest priorities for Mobley is getting acclimated to the team’s system.
“Just getting acclimated to what we do schematically,” said Outlaw. “Obviously, he’s going to be an unbelievable weapon for us. He’s incredibly talented, playing the four, the five, the terminology, his spacing on the floor. If he comes out of this with a better understanding and more confidence in what we’re doing going into training camp, I think that’s a win for us.”
Mobley spent his lone collegiate season at the University of Southern California. There, he averaged 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He made 57.8 percent of his shots from the field and 30.0 percent of his shots from deep.
His athleticism and ball-handing abilities make him a very unique talent for a big man. He is going to bring a lot to the table for Cleveland, and with Jarrett Allen playing alongside the youngster, the Cavs figure to have a great frontcourt duo for the foreseeable future.
Mobley is just 20 years old.
