The Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee hosted the Cavs of Evan Mobley last night, an opportunity to relaunch the game of comparisons between the young sophomore and his elder from Wisconsin, Giannis Antetokounmpo. And at the bend of an interview, we find the Greek Freak in person praising the qualities of his opponent of the evening, even if the latter was clumsy in the defeat of Cleveland (8 points to 2/12 in shooting).
Since graduating from high school and entering USC in the NCAA, comparisons between Evan Mobley and the league’s power forwards have been pouring in. And more often than not, it’s not to put him in perspective with Aleksej Pokusevski. We already place the young interior in the profiles like Kevin Garnett’s, or the most famous Greek basketball player: Giannis Antetokounmpo. If the game of comparisons is often scabrous, it is sometimes useful to locate the main axes of progress of a prospect or a young player. But what about the Greek Freak, who crossed paths with Mobley last night? Good, and even more.
“He can be better than me. Honestly, I don’t see why he couldn’t. It just depends on him. Personally, I will always try to improve myself every day, but he has the qualities to be a very, very good player. It’s a 7-footer [2m13, ndlr.], he’s very mobile, he can shoot, he’s smart… As you said, he watches a lot of videos from other players, which is very good for a young player. If he does things seriously, he will become excellent. » Giannis Antetokounmpo for Cleveland.com.
We do not doubt the qualities and potential of Evan Mobley, but from there to becoming better than the Greek Freak himself? We are still talking about a double MVP seriously weighing in the discussion of the best all-time power forwards at “only” 28 years old, and who is still running at the start of the season at 31 points, more than 11 rebounds and 5.5 help. Could Mobley even dream of this kind of record?
“I didn’t have his averages during my second season, so at that level he is already ahead of me. His future is in his hands. If he stays humble, continues to work hard, focus on his game and love it, he’s going to get really, really good. »
On this point, we cannot contradict Giannis. If we compare the sophomore season of the two interiors, Evan is ahead of his eldest by almost two points (14.5 for Mobley, 12.7 for Giannis). On the rebound, the gap is the same: 8.5 rebounds in the second season for Mobley, against 6.7 for Antetokounmpo. If the young Cavalier registers slightly fewer assists, he already protects the hoop better, and his shooting percentages are much higher. However, the Greek has enjoyed constant progress throughout his career, and his younger brother will need the same type of development to hold the comparison over the long term.
For Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff, when asked about the issue, it’s a comparison that goes far beyond simple statistics. Like a Giannis Antetokounmpo, Mobley is, according to his coach, already one of the players with the most impact in the Great League.
“Evan has the opportunity to be the most impactful player on the court every night, regardless of his stats or what anyone says. There are the intangibles and the general impact of its presence on making the right choices at the right time. His ability to protect the racquet for example: most of the time when guys see him inside, they don’t even try to get in, there’s no stat for that. When he takes the ball and does a hockey assist [la passe avant la passe décisive, ndlr.], there is no trace of that in the box scores. His presence in the paint when he rides [après les écrans, ndlr.], players have to pick him up, and that creates openings for his teammates. They don’t put that in the stat sheet. »
There too, and even if statistics exist to relate the impact of which Bickerstaff speaks, we are obliged to validate his observation. Evan Mobley is already among the most deterrent interiors in the League, as is Giannis Antetokounmpo, to whom we like to compare the young Cavalier so much. But the path is still long and full of pitfalls for Evan.
Source texte : Cleveland.com