Cavs’ Evan Mobley is being compared to the Hall of Fame big man

Heading into the 2024-25 season, there are championship-level expectations for Cleveland Cavaliers fans. The Cavs have a true Big Three between Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley on paper. But like other NBA Big Threes, sacrifices must be made and these star players must step up, especially on offense under new coach Kenny Atkinson.

Garland and Mitchell must learn to play off the ball from each other. That means finding ways to impact the offense with your scoring and play, with or without the ball. It has been a work in progress for several seasons. However, Cleveland’s star-studded backcourt is poised to thrive under the new Atkinson. These changes will allow Mitchell to continue his heroics while pushing Garland to become more involved.

However, Mobley’s expectations are different. Heading into this year, Mobley is still expected to serve as the defensive linchpin for the Cavs. But in attack, things have taken a bit of a turn. This year, Cleveland needs Mobley to get more involved in the offense. Throughout the preseason, Atkinson has mentioned using Mobley’s game to run certain sets and creases on offense. However, the other part of Mobley’s offensive game that Atkinson is asking 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. Of course, he only connected on 27.5% of those attempts from the perimeter. However, the fact that he was catching and making more than his career average, 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 shooting and begins to stretch opposing defenses, Cleveland will be difficult to contain on either end of the floor. However, once Mobley starts burning opposing defenses at a reliable clip from three-point land, an unnamed NBA executive told ClutchPoints he’ll 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 look to him, the NBA executive said of Mobley. “He’s always had unlimited potential as a player, but he just didn’t seem to have it all together. If he can start picking Cleveland apart and forcing opponents to move, he’d be like Chris Bosh for them.”

It would be incredible if Mobley reached the same level as Bosh, one of the top ten power forwards of all time. It would also allow the Cavs to play five-out lineups, preventing them from defending if every player on the court 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 guards. Bosh understood that his role was to play lockdown defense on one end while attacking opposing defenses at three levels on the other.

Even though 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 because he knew his sacrifice was what the team Given Cleveland’s current situation, the Cavs may have to tell Mobley to make similar sacrifices. Mobley has always had the potential to do that. With Atkinson now coaching the team, Mobley’s potential could be realized. Like Bosh, Mobley could be a catalyst in Cleveland. That spark could lead to something great, like an NBA championship.