Player Comparison: Pau Gasol/Chris Bosh

Strengths: Mobley has a chance to be a generational bigman at 7’0, 215 pounds and a 7’4 wingspan … Huge potential as a two-way talent with elite defensive ability to both lock down smaller players on switches on the perimeter as well as his natural rim-protection ability with long arms and tremendous leaping ability … Shuffles his feet with the best of them to stay in front of his man in face ups and post-ups … Run jump athleticism puts him in rare company. Runs the floor like a deer, and has explosive leaping for first as well as second and third jumps … Phenomenal rebounder with his length and size. Also positions himself well for rebounds and does not rely solely on his size to dominate the glass … Versatile offensive player who can already attack from the perimeter and additionally score at all three levels … Jumper already looks smooth and he has the touch to catch and release from many areas … Showcases several post moves and a soft hook shots as part of his scoring repertoire … Already a good passer with anticipation and accuracy and also comfortable facing double teams … Affects the game in a multitude of ways on both ends. Versatility on defense and athletic enough to be disruptive with guards on switches …  Decent ball-handler with plenty of time to improve … Will be 20 years and 1 month old on draft day, making him one of the younger draft prospects … 58/30/69 splits are incredible for a freshman stretch-five at the college level with high volume … Capable screener who can attack on the roll and also set up on the perimeter for open threes …Unmatched potential in this year’s draft class, with his size, athleticism, two-way ability, and shooting prowess …

Weaknesses: The biggest hurdle for Evan Mobley is himself. He can be as good as he wants to be, but the big question is, how badly does he want to be great? He looks like AD 2.0 at times, but his body language and energy level raises concerns for some …  His lack of bulk is the main cause for concern in terms of physical attributes … He is just 215 lbs and could use another 20-25 lbs to really bang in the post and not get overpowered by NBA bigs around the basket …  Added weight would likely open up a world of opportunities for Evan as he could become the bully instead of the bullied … Mobley plays a finesse game, and with the way the NBA game has headed, he’s going to find a level of success no matter what, but having strength to absorb contact and draw fouls on a more regular basis would enhance his skill set … Should learn to enjoy contact a little more than he does currently, which again added strength would assist with … Can become anxious defensively and fall for pump fakes too easily … Needs to show more patience and better timing on jumps for blocks and rebounds … He’s likely to struggle holding position in the post or backing down defenders until he bulks up … Has a lot of promise as a ball-handler but polishing this aspect of his game, like Joel Embiid has, will allow the offense to run through him more easily as well as adding another dimension to his pick and pop, isolation game against other centers … Yet to add a reliable post fadeaway to his repertoire, which could make his post-game even more dominant … Most of his weaknesses are just additional elements that would put his game over the top to an elite level, which isn’t a bad problem to have in a prospect … Very soft spoken. Should work on becoming a most vocal leader.

Outlook: Arguably the most exciting/talented big-man prospect since Anthony Davis in 2012, Towns in 2015 … Has an AD type of ceiling with his two-way ability and overall skill set … While the value of bigmen have been downgraded in today’s NBA, the versatile well rounded bigs like Embiid, Jokic and AD retain immense value. If Mobley can develop into one of these types, he can justify a very high pick …

Notes: Native of Murrieta, CA … First love was football but after a growth spurt made the intelligent decision to focus on basketball … Projected as a likely top 3 pick … Averaged 16.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 2.9 BLK as a freshman at USC Consensus All-American Second Team … Pac-12 Player of the Year … Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year … Pac-12 Rookie of the Year … The first to accomplish that feat (winning all three conference awards) since Anthony Davis …

Derek Bast 5/14/21