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Top Prospect Evan Mobley Looking For Best Situation Possible
The NBA is set to welcome it’s next batch of elite-level talent on Thursday night, as the NBA draft will take place inside Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
One name at the top of every GMs wish list is dynamic center Evan Mobley, who is anticipated to be a top-three selection when NBA commissioner Adam Silver takes to the stage to announce the selections.
Mobley may still be raw at just 19 year-old, but the 7-foot, 215-pound two-way prospect has potential suitors drooling at the possibility of drafting him.
Given his impressive draft stock, Mobley and his camp have limited say in where he ultimately ends up, but during his pre-draft interviews with Open-Court Basketball and the wider NBA media, the Pac-12 Player of the Year emphasised his desire to land in the best situation possible.
“I just want to be in the best situation possible. If that’s a team that believes im going to fit best with them, then I’m going to be my best. I feel like I can play alongside anyone, I can create good team chemistry with a lot of different people and feel like I can play with a lot of different people.”
As it stands, the Detroit Pistons hold the number one pick, the Houston Rockets occupy the second pick, the Cleveland Cavaliers hold the third pick and the Toronto Raptors will pick fourth on the evening.
One thing if for certain, Mobley won’t fall any further that the fourth spot, and could realistically go number one given his potential as a franchise cornerstone.
Ironically, determining his ideal landing spot becomes somewhat difficult due his uncanny ability to address what a team lacks, and his overall versatility on both ends.
If Mobley is selected with the first pick and heads to the Pistons, he will have free reign in the frontcourt following the departures of Blake Griffin, Christian Wood and long-time big man Andre Drummond.
As for the Rockets, despite Mobley’s ability to seamlessly fit alongside others, his attributes may mirror too similarly with that of aforementioned Christian Wood, who is a multi-talented offensive piece and growing paint presence.
The Cavaliers at number three make sense for both sides. Whilst the Cavs front office is focused on bringing back Center Jarrett Allen in free agency, Allen excels as a defensive anchor and could mesh well with Mobley’s offensive tools. Throw in the fact that the franchise is finally ready to move on from Kevin Love this offseason, there could be ample room to welcome Mobley to the fray.
Last but not least, the Raptors are also a destination that could maximise Mobley’s potential. The Raptors find themselves in the need of basically everything in regards to genuine talent, as they transition into a developmental phase in the immediate future.
Just under a decade ago, a highly-skilled power forward named Chris Bosh was acquired on draft night, and Mobley’s all round repertoire isn’t all that dissimilar to Bosh’s.
In truth, it’s hard to see Mobley falling to the Raptors, but wherever he does land the hope is to maximise his talent on both ends of the floor.
Considering Mobley is the unquestionably the best big man in this draft, and could realistically be the best two-way prospect since Anthony Davis, although his name might not be called first on Thursday night, he could well end up being the best player in this class when looking back in five to ten years.
