Coming into Saturday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley had been having a somewhat quiet sophomore season.
He had shown lots of promise as a rookie, but his numbers, other than his shooting percentage, hadn’t shown any improvement at all.
But against Milwaukee, Mobley was a five-alarm fire, as he went for a career-high 38 points on 19-of-27 shooting, to go along with nine rebounds in Cleveland’s 114-102 victory.
He did most of his damage at or near the rim, but he also flashed his perimeter potential by hitting a few mid-range jumpers.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo out due to a knee injury, the Bucks had no way to even contain Mobley, let alone stop him.
Evan Mobley dropped a career-high in the Cavs W:
38 PTS (career-high)
9 REB
3 AST pic.twitter.com/JuPtTxaiBv— NBA (@NBA) January 22, 2023
Some had criticized Mobley for not taking a step forward in his second season, despite the immense potential he is believed to have.
One of those critics is former NBA big man and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, who made some frank remarks about Mobley just over a week ago.
"Where the hell is Evan Mobley? … We've been waiting on him to take that leap, like in the conversation with elite bigs… He hasn't lived up to this season."
— Kendrick Perkins#LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/B9y9qj42gc
— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) January 11, 2023
It looks like perhaps Mobley has responded to that criticism by going off on the Bucks on Saturday.
It would be great if he continues to play like he has taken things to the next level, as the Cavs have slipped to fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 29-19 record.
They’re half a game behind the Brooklyn Nets, and with Kevin Durant out due to a sprained MCL, this would be the perfect time for Mobley’s crew to make a move and climb into fourth place in the standings.
