A consensus All-American in his freshman year, along with a slew of PAC-12 awards, Evan Mobley had quite a decorated freshman season. On the year, Mobley averaged 16.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 2.9 BPG, and 2.2 TOPG on shooting splits of 58/30/69. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Evan Mobley
Height/Weight: 7’0 / 210
Wingspan/ standing reach: N/A
Hand size: N/A
Position: PF/C
College/ country: USC
Tools: Athleticism, length, versatility, rim protection, scoring
Pros:
- Excellent athlete with quick vertical leap
- Long arms and projectable frame
- Shooting upside
- Good rebounder
- Cuts well and moves off-ball
- Plus finisher at the rim
- Great low post touch with lethal hook shot that can be made from anywhere in the paint
- Excellent P&R roll-man upside
- Good passer against the zone
- Moves well on the perimeter and can switch onto guards
- Excellent in transition
Cons:
- Defensive awareness may be hidden by no defensive 3 in the key in college
- Needs to add strength
- Will likely struggle guarding post ups early in the NBA
- Must speed up jump shot despite high start and release
Overall:
Evan Mobley is a hyper-modern big with an enormous frame, upside as a complete offensive player, and an all-defense upside. While Mobley needs to improve his skinny, long frame, he can make an impact defensively due to his length and quick feet, both near the rim and on the perimeter, making him uniquely versatile. The one thing Mobley needs to become more consistent at is defensive awareness. While he still was, and likely will be, a positive defender, the college game has no 3 in the key penalty, which could have hidden some of his defensive awareness lackings that were shown just a handful of times at USC. It’s a minor problem, but could be one that matters come playoff time if it still lingers. Offensively, Mobley has the potential to do nearly everything. I buy his jump shooting because he has a simple release that starts high, making his shot hard to block, both off the dribble and from a standstill. He also showed creation ability, using between the legs moves into pull-up jumpers, which is incredibly difficult to guard when the ball-handler is 7 feet tall. He can also finish at a high rate, thanks to his length that allows him to finish either around or above defenders. Look for Mobley to immediately make a difference in the frontcourt wherever he gets drafted to.
Similar to: Anthony Davis, DeAndre Ayton
Projected draft range: 2-3
Expected role: Starting big with all-star upside as a two-way big with some wing skills, giving him elite versatility.
Unplayable if: Highly unlikely, but this would be due to a jumper not developing, along with the combination of his frame and/or defensive off-ball awareness never fully maturing.
Exceeds expectations if: The best case for Mobley entirely relies on his jumper. If Mobley can consistently hit, and thus likely create, his own jumper, he has a realistic chance at becoming the best player in the draft.
