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Heading into the 2024-25 season, there are championship-level expectations for Cleveland Cavaliers fans. The Cavs have a bonafide Big Three between Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, and Evan Mobley on paper. But, like other NBA Big Three, sacrifices must be made, and those star players must step up – especially on offense under new head coach Kenny Atkinson.
Garland and Mitchell must learn how to play off-ball from each other. That means finding ways to impact the offense with their scoring and playmaking – with or without the ball. It's been a work in progress for several seasons. However, Cleveland's star-studded backcourt is primed to thrive under new Atkinson. These changes will allow Mitchell to continue his heroics while pushing Garland to be more involved.
However, Mobley's expectations are different. Heading into this year, Mobley is still expected to serve as the Cavs' defensive lynchpin. But on offense, things have taken a bit of a turn. This year, Cleveland needs Mobley to become more involved on offense. Throughout the preseason, Atkinson has mentioned using Mobley's playmaking to run certain sets and wrinkles on offense. However, the other part of Mobley's offensive game Atkinson is calling for is something everyone has been asking for: his perimeter touch.
For his career, Mobley is a 26.5% three-point shooter and has only attempted 1.3 per game. However, during the preseason, Mobley has tried to live up to Atkinson's perimeter demands. In three preseason contests, Mobley averaged 3.5 three-point attempts per game. Sure, he only connected on 27.5% of those attempts from the perimeter. However, the fact that he was taking and making more than his career averages, especially in limited minutes, gives reason to be optimistic about Mobley's upcoming season.
How Evan Mobley can take the Cavs to Hall of Fame levels
If Mobley continues to show faith in his perimeter shot and starts stretching out opposing defenses, Cleveland will be hard to contain on either end of the floor. However, once Mobley starts burning opposing defenses at a reliable clip from three-point land, one unnamed NBA executive told ClutchPoints that he'd be on a similar level to Hall of Famer Chris Bosh.
“It's always been, ‘Let's wait and see what he can do.' when we scout him,” said the NBA executive about Mobley. “He's always had so much unlimited potential as a player, but it felt like he wasn't putting it all together. If he can start spacing Cleveland and forcing opponents to move, he'd be like Chris Bosh to them.”
It would be incredible if Mobley reached a level on par with Bosh, a top-ten all-time power forward. It would also allow the Cavs to play with five-out lineups, making it impossible for them to defend if every player on the floor can hurt you from three-point range, something Bosh catalyzed during his time with the Miami Heat. In Miami, the concept was to play Bosh at center and surround him with wings and perimeter-oriented guards. Bosh understood that his role was to play lock-down defense on one end while attacking opposing defenses at all three levels on the other.
While Bosh was the No. 1 option with the Toronto Raptors and toward the end of his NBA career with the Heat, he did what was asked of him because he knew his sacrifice was what the team needed. Looking ahead to Cleveland's current situation, the Cavs may need to tell Mobley to make similar sacrifices. Mobley has always had the potential to do so. With Atkinson now coaching the team, Mobley's potential could become reality. Like Bosh, Mobley could be a catalyst in Cleveland. That spark could eventually lead to something great, like an NBA Championship.
