The Cleveland Cavaliers never doubted that Evan Mobley was their guy in the NBA Draft.
And while some believe he’s behind schedule and should’ve taken a step forward already, the USC product has shown glimpses of greatness on both ends of the floor way too often.
Of course, Mobley’s offensive repertoire was promising and projected to bode well in today’s NBA.
But his defense was his cover letter, and most expected some growing pains as a scorer before he finally came around as the two-way superstar some think he’ll become.
Fast forward to today, and Mobley has made it clear that he’s a two-way player already, even joining a historic list after his latest performance for the Cavs.
Mobley joined the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, Alex English, and George Gervin as the only four players to score 38+ points without a triple or a free throw since the three-point line was adopted all the way back in 1979.
.@evanmobley scored all 38 of his points without a single FT or 3FG.
Only 3 other @NBA players since the 3-pointer was adopted in 1979 have ever scored 38+ PTS without a FT or 3FG.
Hakeem Olajuwon (1/30/97)
Alex English (twice, 12/6/88 and 3/3/84)
George Gervin (1/25/85)— Cavs Notes (@CavsNotes) January 22, 2023
Every time you join three of the greatest scorers in NBA history on any list, then you know you’ve done something good.
The 21-year-old was at his most dominant version against the Milwaukee Bucks, going 19/27 from the field to help the Cavs get a much-needed win without Donovan Mitchell on the floor.
Mitchell has been struggling with a groin injury, so the Cavs might want to err on the side of caution and keep him on the shelf for the next game or two as well.
Should that be the case, then we can expect another massive offensive performance from Mobley, who didn’t shy away from this expanded role.
