If Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley’s role in one of the more efficient offenses in the NBA continues to see new heights as he earns more confidence from head coach JB Bickerstaff, the 21-year-old Cavs forward could soon get the green light to shoot nearly any shot he possibly can.
“We want (Evan Mobley) to take all the shots,” JB Bickerstaff said postgame press conference. “There’s not a spot on the floor where we don’t feel comfortable with him with the ball in his hands and the shot he can create.
“We don’t want him to be put in a box and have short dimensions on his game. We want him to flourish because we believe that’s what he’s capable of. Those different spots you’ll see, those are conversations we have with him, that’s time we spend working with him and that’s him putting in the time on his own and wanting to be the player he’s capable of being.”
Evan Mobley finished with 16 points on 80% shooting and eight defensive rebounds against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. He played a key role in holding Sixers center Joel Embiid to a 37.5% field goal percentage, tipping a turn-around hook shot into the stands and sending Embiid to the floor as he grabbed an offensive rebound off of a missed 3-pointer from Sixers guard Shake Milton.
Embiid couldn’t help but pay his respects towards the Cavs star’s performance against the Sixers, saying he could one day reach the level of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl Anthony-Towns.
“I think he can be that good,” Joel Embiid said on Wednesday. “It’s all about opportunities. If he gets them, and the chance to keep making mistakes, learning from them and keep getting better, I think he can get to that level.
“But he’s already really good.”