Clock Is Ticking For Evan Mobley After Massive Cavaliers Extension

The Cleveland Cavaliers have paid Evan Mobley the big bucks, so now, it is on Mobley to show everyone he is worth it.

Apr 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) dribbles the ball in the second quarter against the Orlando Magic during game two of the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed Evan Mobley to a five-year, $224 million contract extension on Saturday night, effectively displaying their utmost confidence in Mobley as a franchise cornerstone.

Now, the ball is in Mobley's court to live up to his deal.

The Cavaliers originally selected Mobley with the third overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft. He immediately became an impact player for Cleveland and has been ever since.

But how much has Mobley really improved since his rookie campaign?

Not a whole lot.

The USC product averaged 15 points, eight rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game during his debut season, giving Cavs fans a glimpse of what the future could be like.

Two seasons later, Mobley was averaging 15.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a night. That isn't exactly elite progression.

We can't sugarcoat is: Mobley's development has stagnated. That isn't to say that he isn't a good player or that he can't get better. After all, he is just 23 years old. But we would be lying to ourselves to say that he has dramatically improved over the course of three NBA campaigns.

Of course, it isn't all Mobley's fault.

An awkward frontcourt pairing with Jarrett Allen has certainly made life tougher for Mobley, with neither Allen nor Mobley exactly being floor spacers.

Mobley has shown some potential in that area, as he made 37.3 percent of his three-pointers this past season. The caveat is that it was on 59 attempts in 50 games, so the volume simply wasn't there.

This has led to rampant trade speculation surrounding Allen, with many clamoring for the Cavaliers to jettison the former All-Star center for a big man who can actually shoot from the outside and open things up for Mobley.

Or, maybe Mobley can continue to get better from three?

It seems like Cleveland isn't trading Allen. Not right now, anyway. That leaves it up to Mobley to improve individually, and you know what? That isn't unfair given his draft position.

Mobley wasn't a mid first-round pick or a second-rounder; he was a top-3 selection. The Cavs drafted him based on his potential, and while he has definitely shown flashes, he hasn't progressed in the way Cavaliers fans had hoped.

A lot of times, young players see a big jump in their third year. Darius Garland did. Looking at other Eastern Conference stars, so did Jayson Tatum.

Mobley didn't quite do that. As a matter of fact, his scoring dipped from his sophomore season when he registered 16.2 points a night.

The San Diego native absolutely deserves some grace. Again, he is still very young, and his growth has been stunted partially due to circumstances beyond his control.

But there isn't much of an excuse for not developing a better set of offensive skills by Year 3. Mobley is still very limited on that end of the floor, and how much of that blame should be placed on him and how much should be levied against Cleveland's organization is the question.

Perhaps new head coach Kenny Atkinson will be able to get the best out of Mobley, but Mobley still needs to take it upon himself to hone his craft.

Mobley is a good, young player. The Cavs did right by extending him. He undoubtedly could be a major building block for the future.

But if Mobley doesn't show significant improve next season, we need to start genuinely asking ourselves if who he is now is who he will always be, and whether or not that's good enough.