The Cleveland Cavaliers’ future prospects have never been this bright since LeBron James departed for Hollywood in 2018. A big reason behind such optimism is the Cavs’ 7-foot rookie in Evan Mobley.
Viewed by many as the NBA’s newest unicorn, Mobley carries with himself silent confidence. In spite of his quiet demeanor, the Cavs’ prized rookie is well aware of his capabilities. As such, he’s not holding back when it comes to his targets in year one.
Per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com:
“Mobley even mentioned being an All-Star in 2022 so he could represent the host city. That boast came less than a week after labeling himself a generational player.”
The odds aren’t in Mobley’s favor. This isn’t a knock on the Cavs’ big man, though. First off, Cleveland already has a couple of young guards with high usage in Darius Garland and Collin Sexton. He’ll have to be featured more on the Cavs’ offense if he expects to make enough noise as a rookie.
Besides, the Cavs will be better served if they ease Mobley into the NBA grind. It won’t be a good idea to expose his thin frame to punishment courtesy of the Joel Embiids and Nikola Jokics of the world. Isaac Ikoro was given the opposite treatment as a rookie, being tasked to guard the opponents’ best players nightly. However, these are wingmen and not hulking bruisers.
Even if Evan Mobley ends up missing an All-Star selection, he still holds the highest ceiling among all Cavs players. He’ll get there eventually—and multiple times at that. He has a much higher chance of making it to the NBA Rising Stars Challenge at the 2022 All-Star Weekend in Cleveland.