thegodfather
Situational Stopper
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2009
- Messages
- 409
- Reaction score
- 488
- Points
- 63
From Hollinger;
63. Isaiah Mobley | 6-10 junior | C | USC
I’m a sucker for bigs who can pass because I’m willing to bet their feel level wins out over other limitations. Mobley isn’t nearly as talented as his more famous younger brother, but his 5.8 dimes per 100 possessions and nearly 2:1 assist-turnover rate jump off the page for a college big man. The tape shows several advanced deliveries in the mix, hinting at usefulness off the elbows and, perhaps, above the arc if his nascent 3-point game keeps developing.
Mobley will need to take advantage of the same ability to read the game on the other end, where he was a subpar rebounder even for a college five and a limited rim protector. Between that and his blah athleticism, we’re probably talking about backup five upside, but there are worse two-way gambles you could take.
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From Vecenie:
41. IsaiahMobley
F | USC| DOB: Sept. 24, 1999 (Age: 22) | 6-10 | 240 LBS | Hometown: Murrieta, Calif.
STRENGTHS Older brother of Cleveland Cavalier Evan Mobley, Isaiah is a post-hype big man who has emerged over the last year and a half as a legitimate NBA prospect. He was a McDonald’s All-American in 2019, but it took him a minute to establish himself in college. In 2020-21, he was terrific in the back half of the season with his brother. This past season, he emerged as a terrific all-around player and USC’s centerpiece. Earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors and led USC to the NCAA Tournament.
Good size for the NBA four position, but I also think he could slide to the five at times with his 7-foot-3 wingspan and 9-foot standing reach. Moves his feet better than he gets credit for and has a terrific feel for the game. A big whose game really makes sense for the NBA.
I like Mobley most on defense, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given his brother, but that hasn’t always been Isaiah’s rep. He switches well across the wing and big positions while also being an extremely effective post defender with his relative lower-body strength. Uses his intersection of fluid feet and quickness well across the frontcourt on this end. I wouldn’t say he’s a switchable guy onto ones and twos, but I think he does a good job of holding up where he can and using angles to marginally affect them at times. At the rim, he’s not really a shot blocker, but he’s very effective as a rim protector in similar ways to Al Horford. Knows how to use his strength and chest to get into a player’s body without fouling. His wingspan gives him the ability to contest, despite the wingspan not being overly enormous.
Offensively, you can see how Mobley came up as more of a point forward when he was a McDonald’s All-American. Had some terrific grab-and-go moments where he essentially was a lead option for USC. Throws some awesome passes to teammates. Can throw them on the move and throw anticipatory reads that get his players open. Hits cross-corner skips out of both short rolls and post-ups already. I love him out of short rolls, a readily applicable skill to how NBA teams would use him. He can dribble a few times to bring the defender toward him to open angles. He also can process quickly and throw nice touch passes. Loves the overhead pass to his man in the dunker spot. Dished out 3.3 assists per game while posting a near 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as USC’s primary option.
Good in grab-and-go situations if a smaller defender or if no one picks him up as a scorer. Can drive and finish quickly. Mobley also is a good finisher with touch around the basket. Made 61.7 percent of his shots at the basket. I buy Mobley as a shooter. He has a funky follow-through, but everything else is pretty good. His shot prep is terrific. Gets into his rhythm off the hop and almost always is ready to fire upon the catch. Really elevates into it. Extremely clean, high release with a high finish on the shot. Legit pick-and-pop and real spot-up threat. Makes them off quick movement when popping to the perimeter. You can tell he has extreme confidence shooting from 3.
WEAKNESSES
Not a superb athlete. Could struggle with the adjustment up to playing actual, NBA-level length. Not an explosive leaper, which could hinder him as a rim protector. Doesn’t have a ton of burst laterally or in terms of first step.
That lack of athleticism will really slow him down as a creator. Has difficulty separating from his man. Going to make it really tough for him to drive and collapse defenders. Good at doing it when he’s in short rolls, because he already has the four-on-three advantage when teams put two players on the ball but won’t be able to create that advantage for himself. Ends up settling for a bunch of tougher push shots and mini-hooks because he can’t get around anyone and get a clean runway toward the rim. Even when he does, opposing defenders won’t have much of an issue recovering against him. Shot creation won’t be his game in the NBA, but I’m not sure he needs it to be successful.
Defensively, will that lack of athleticism hurt him in space? Has a chance to get cooked by guards because of his lateral quickness. Takes good angles on the ball to be able to minimize it, but those angles are even tougher to manage in the NBA when the court is a bit more spread. Additionally, I do think he left a few too many opportunities as a help-side rim protector wanting. Doesn’t always rotate, possibly out of a desire to stay out of foul trouble due to USC needing him, but he also seems to react late occasionally from time to time. Can he be good enough? He could end up, physically, between being a drop-coverage big and a switch big; he’s not quick enough to slide with guards and not good enough as a rim protector to play in drops.
SUMMARY
I would imagine Mobley is one of the players I most diverge from consensus. I buy him as an interesting, potential-guarantee guy because of the way his game could translate to what the NBA looks for from modern bigs. He’s a killer passer out of short rolls, and he can shoot, which already gives him an enormous leg up on a lot of bigs in today’s NBA. He has good defensive awareness for the most part and can slide his feet at a really high level, in addition to his 7-foot-3 wingspan. He might not have the athletic tools to play in the NBA, but I’d be willing to pay with a second-round pick to find out if he got into the 45 to 55 range. I’m something of a believer in Mobley.
63. Isaiah Mobley | 6-10 junior | C | USC
I’m a sucker for bigs who can pass because I’m willing to bet their feel level wins out over other limitations. Mobley isn’t nearly as talented as his more famous younger brother, but his 5.8 dimes per 100 possessions and nearly 2:1 assist-turnover rate jump off the page for a college big man. The tape shows several advanced deliveries in the mix, hinting at usefulness off the elbows and, perhaps, above the arc if his nascent 3-point game keeps developing.
Mobley will need to take advantage of the same ability to read the game on the other end, where he was a subpar rebounder even for a college five and a limited rim protector. Between that and his blah athleticism, we’re probably talking about backup five upside, but there are worse two-way gambles you could take.
————————
From Vecenie:
41. IsaiahMobley
F | USC| DOB: Sept. 24, 1999 (Age: 22) | 6-10 | 240 LBS | Hometown: Murrieta, Calif.
STRENGTHS Older brother of Cleveland Cavalier Evan Mobley, Isaiah is a post-hype big man who has emerged over the last year and a half as a legitimate NBA prospect. He was a McDonald’s All-American in 2019, but it took him a minute to establish himself in college. In 2020-21, he was terrific in the back half of the season with his brother. This past season, he emerged as a terrific all-around player and USC’s centerpiece. Earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors and led USC to the NCAA Tournament.
Good size for the NBA four position, but I also think he could slide to the five at times with his 7-foot-3 wingspan and 9-foot standing reach. Moves his feet better than he gets credit for and has a terrific feel for the game. A big whose game really makes sense for the NBA.
I like Mobley most on defense, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given his brother, but that hasn’t always been Isaiah’s rep. He switches well across the wing and big positions while also being an extremely effective post defender with his relative lower-body strength. Uses his intersection of fluid feet and quickness well across the frontcourt on this end. I wouldn’t say he’s a switchable guy onto ones and twos, but I think he does a good job of holding up where he can and using angles to marginally affect them at times. At the rim, he’s not really a shot blocker, but he’s very effective as a rim protector in similar ways to Al Horford. Knows how to use his strength and chest to get into a player’s body without fouling. His wingspan gives him the ability to contest, despite the wingspan not being overly enormous.
Offensively, you can see how Mobley came up as more of a point forward when he was a McDonald’s All-American. Had some terrific grab-and-go moments where he essentially was a lead option for USC. Throws some awesome passes to teammates. Can throw them on the move and throw anticipatory reads that get his players open. Hits cross-corner skips out of both short rolls and post-ups already. I love him out of short rolls, a readily applicable skill to how NBA teams would use him. He can dribble a few times to bring the defender toward him to open angles. He also can process quickly and throw nice touch passes. Loves the overhead pass to his man in the dunker spot. Dished out 3.3 assists per game while posting a near 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as USC’s primary option.
Good in grab-and-go situations if a smaller defender or if no one picks him up as a scorer. Can drive and finish quickly. Mobley also is a good finisher with touch around the basket. Made 61.7 percent of his shots at the basket. I buy Mobley as a shooter. He has a funky follow-through, but everything else is pretty good. His shot prep is terrific. Gets into his rhythm off the hop and almost always is ready to fire upon the catch. Really elevates into it. Extremely clean, high release with a high finish on the shot. Legit pick-and-pop and real spot-up threat. Makes them off quick movement when popping to the perimeter. You can tell he has extreme confidence shooting from 3.
WEAKNESSES
Not a superb athlete. Could struggle with the adjustment up to playing actual, NBA-level length. Not an explosive leaper, which could hinder him as a rim protector. Doesn’t have a ton of burst laterally or in terms of first step.
That lack of athleticism will really slow him down as a creator. Has difficulty separating from his man. Going to make it really tough for him to drive and collapse defenders. Good at doing it when he’s in short rolls, because he already has the four-on-three advantage when teams put two players on the ball but won’t be able to create that advantage for himself. Ends up settling for a bunch of tougher push shots and mini-hooks because he can’t get around anyone and get a clean runway toward the rim. Even when he does, opposing defenders won’t have much of an issue recovering against him. Shot creation won’t be his game in the NBA, but I’m not sure he needs it to be successful.
Defensively, will that lack of athleticism hurt him in space? Has a chance to get cooked by guards because of his lateral quickness. Takes good angles on the ball to be able to minimize it, but those angles are even tougher to manage in the NBA when the court is a bit more spread. Additionally, I do think he left a few too many opportunities as a help-side rim protector wanting. Doesn’t always rotate, possibly out of a desire to stay out of foul trouble due to USC needing him, but he also seems to react late occasionally from time to time. Can he be good enough? He could end up, physically, between being a drop-coverage big and a switch big; he’s not quick enough to slide with guards and not good enough as a rim protector to play in drops.
SUMMARY
I would imagine Mobley is one of the players I most diverge from consensus. I buy him as an interesting, potential-guarantee guy because of the way his game could translate to what the NBA looks for from modern bigs. He’s a killer passer out of short rolls, and he can shoot, which already gives him an enormous leg up on a lot of bigs in today’s NBA. He has good defensive awareness for the most part and can slide his feet at a really high level, in addition to his 7-foot-3 wingspan. He might not have the athletic tools to play in the NBA, but I’d be willing to pay with a second-round pick to find out if he got into the 45 to 55 range. I’m something of a believer in Mobley.
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