One of 2021’s top prospects, USC big man Evan Mobley, confirmed today that he’s entering the NBA draft and will go pro after a single season with the Trojans (Twitter link).
Mobley, who will turn 20 in June, averaged 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks with a .578 FG% in 33 games (33.9 MPG) for USC in 2020/21. The seven-footer was a Consensus All-American who was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year.
Mobley is part of the top tier of prospects in this year’s draft class, ranking No. 2 on ESPN’s big board. He’ll likely receive consideration to be the first player off the board in July and is extremely unlikely to fall further than fourth or fifth overall.
As Jonathan Givony notes in his profile of Mobley at ESPN.com, the big man has an “ideal physical profile” for the NBA level and has the potential to be an elite rim protector. While he only knocked down 30% of his three-point attempts as a Trojan, Mobley has the “touch and mechanics” to improve that rate at the NBA level over time, says Givony.
Our running list of early entrants for the 2021 NBA draft can be found right here.
I’d put him as #3 behind Cunningham and Suggs
Don’t see it Suggs at best is jrue holiday. Teams picking up top want star power not borderline all stars
Bias based on recent performance, happens every year after March madness
Mobley is gonna be a really good player. This draft class is pretty strong in terms of talent
I should learn to be quiet this time of year but I’m going to give this a shot anyway. I love Jalen Suggs.. I think he’s going to be awesome. I think Evan Mobley will be a bust. Just not strong enough. And by bust I mean that he’s not worth the number two or three or four pick. Maybe 9,10 or 11.
Okay, ready for the character assassinations, but before you start, consider these few thoughts.
Yes I watch basketball.
Yes I played the game in college.
Yes I’ve played with former Pros, many of them. Were they out of the league a few years when I ran with them? Yes of course but still I like saying it LOL. And lastly,
No I don’t think I’m an idiot. Okay fire away.
Bust is pretty strong. A 19 yr old doesn’t get his real body until 21-24. Humans can always put on weight , no PEDs. Meat and potatoes. If you look at his father and brother both carry weight. I agree he has to fill out more. He’s very talented offensively and plays D too. I see a true center that in time will be a solid 2way big. He’s top 3 and best big in draft. Give him 3-4 yrs. Based on talent and upside only I like …….
1- Cade, 2- Green, 3- Mobley, 4- Suggs,
5- Kuminga.
Good take. I guess the question is.., going by Jermaine O’Neal, was he a bust for the Portland Trail Blazers who drafted him? He was there 4 years or so and did not contribute until he went to the Pacers and he was 24 25 years old. Became an All-Star of course.
So if a guy figures it out in year 5 but he’s not with the team that drafted him, I guess that’s what I’m getting at… (this time.)
So Al, is Mobley going to be better than Wiseman? They’re both slender and can run the floor and mobile and have the potential to be great in four years. I have high hopes for James Wiseman, hope it works out.
@gary this is the second time you posted this as if your looking for some type of attention. Your literally the only casual that thinks this, you can say you watch sports but do you really? There’s more to the game than just points and rebound, Mobley has extremely sound fundamentals especially for someone as big as him that can stretch the floor.
Mobley has all the qualities of a big-time post prospect. Length, athleticism, mobility, skill and basketball IQ are all in abundance. Finishes with touch and has nice footwork in the post. Threat to score out to 17-feet at this point. Expected to extend range in pros. Rebounds outside his area. Conscientious defender.
Again your baseless evaluation highlights the lack of understanding of what a players value can be. Anthony Davis while talented in college never had stats pop off the page the same could be said about his first year in league. You could argue Davis is one of the best big men in the last 20 years. To put it bluntly the ability Mobley has is extremely rare.
Okay fair enough Tatsumaki. I appreciate your opinion and thank you.
There are a lot of variables. Even the best players in any sport have to end up on the right team in order to realize their full potential.
Mobley has a lot of potential and needs to be drafted by the right team to develop his skills and be surrounded by players who can maximize his effectiveness if he bulks up to be an NBA-sized big.
@gary is allowed to have an opinion. All he said is “I think he is going to be a bust”.
And your evaluation of AD is baseless….He averaged 4.7 blocks a game.
Oh so now you are the guy who thinks not all posters tell the truth. Even if he never played ball. He says it, you give someone the benefit of the doubt at first. I know thats hard for you to get. Since you think arguing and battling is only response.
Dude I Iike Mobley a lot. But if you really know ball and watch it. You should know at his size he will get pushed around like PeeWee at first. It’s why Noel at 27 still can’t start on a team. AD still doesn’t like to play inside. Mobley ain’t no AD. He’s more a true center. So he will need to add girth. AD is a bad comparison cause AD wants no part of playing center. AD is a true 4 who can play inside outside. Not many like him. Mobley can’t put the ball on the floor like AD. Mobley can shoot but is more a true center. I see Mobley becoming a solid center.
Mobley is 19 years old… give him a couple years with a world class trainer and diet ain’t nobody pushing him around. Besides his length will keep him afloat in the NBA until he bulks up and reaches his potential
Good question. I like Wiseman a lot. To me Wiseman is bigger thicker. And looks like a better athlete. Once both fill out. I do think Wiseman will be better. But both will be top centers. Mobley got smarts that Wiseman needs to get. Mobley is better shooter right now. Wiseman to me has upside to be best big in game. People today do t have the patience to wait or work with these guys. Posters here have been killing Mitch for yrs lol. I know he can be another DPY or at least close. Be super happy with that. I’m a big fan of true bigs.
For the scouting comparison thread… one has to ideally take into account health and that is hard to anticipate. Scouts for the NFL get onto that more than in the NBA. Maybe it is kept private here.
But in football the talk about injury liklihood got publicly available and helps in prediction. (NFL draft Apr.29).
I have no inside info but Mobley looks more durable than Wiseman… more confident movement in traffic. Both will avoid contact, but Mobley knows he can slash fast for ball or rim.
One game for Memphis I saw… Achuwa was into it more than Wiseman, until the game spread out; of course that is his PA’s nature; but I would have liked seeing that play out in a whole season.
For both there will be a need for a thicker type to pair with, but Mobley can offer more room for him to operate while still pressing the D himself. Wiseman needs more space to be dangerous, a problem for a 5.
And I’m not sure he paired with Dray Green… nobody has said so. He gets spoken of like a project. Plus the connective tissue issue.
Issues of filling out might be more pressing for the second or third contractor. Best for a drafting team to assume a not yet.
Future Hall of Famer…. You read it hear first. Mobley is humble, talented, and has all the intangibles. Let’s not forget he’s only 19 years old. If you’ve seen his dad you know he’ll fill out out his frame. Fight On Evan!
Perfect for OKC! (Assuming we don’t get #1 and Cade)
I’d like to see him end up in OKC as well. Cade is a nice player but it doesn’t get better than perfect. Mobley, Dort, and SGA would make up one of the best defensive lineups in the league for years to come.
OKC will have a difficult time getting the #1 or even the #2 or #3 pick.
If the Rockets do well in the lottery and their pick is in the top 4 then the Thunder don’t get to swap picks. So unless they manage to lose enough games to catch Orlando for the 4th worst spot in the standings then OKC has to hope they get lucky in the draft lottery to get one of the top picks.
Valid point WallyWood. However, each team needs a little bit of luck and the odds aren’t that far off. History shows us (and God forbid) Cleveland will end up with the top pick. If OKC falls in love with a prospect they certainly have the capital to move up and whomever they trade with could still get their guy. My guess is most of these bad teams will go after a guard/wing based on their needs. Minnesota needs a lead guard. Detroit needs a new face of the franchise who’s ready to play. Orlando has a similar prospect in Jonathan Isaac so they’d probably go small. Not sure about Houston they could go in any direction.
The teams with the three worst records have the same odds for both the No. 1 pick (14%) and staying in the top four (52%).
The team with the worst record has a 47.9% chance to fall to No. 5. The lowest a team could fall under the old system was to No. 4 — there was previously just a 35.7% chance of that happening.
Teams in Slots 9 through 6 have a 20-37% chance of jumping into the top five. Previously, that range was 6-22%. On espn.com
link to tankathon.com
Personally I would like to see Minny get #1 pick. Or at least top 3. What I want 1- Minny, 2- Detroit
3- Rockets, 4- Orlando, 5- Cleveland, 6- OKC.
This makes next yr NBA make much better for all.
After the Heat just lost to Minnesota the Rockets own the worst record in the NBA and the Pistons winning puts them 3 games ahead of Houston. With 16 games remaining on their schedule the Rockets only face two teams with a losing record.
Their chances of keeping a top-4 pick instead of sending it to OKC are even better than the Wolves chances of keeping their top-3 pick regardless of which one ends up as the #1 team in the lottery.
#1 Kuminga
#2 Green
#3 Mobley
#4 Cunningham
#5 Suggs
Mobley is going to be very good yet it won’t come easy or quickly.