An NBA championship for the Cavs? Hall of Fame? Evan Mobley is chasing greatness, and he wants it all

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — It’s one of the first days of training camp and even though practice has concluded, Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley isn’t fulfilled.

His relentless pursuit of greatness means there’s always more work. Before Mobley leaves Cleveland Clinic Courts and races to his downtown dwelling — a building where his mother, Nicol, has a residence and brother, Isaiah, is right across the street — Mobley must make at least 100 corner 3-pointers: 50 from the right corner and 50 from the left.

That’s just part of his meticulous daily routine. There are also pick-and-pop drills with assistant coach Luke Walton followed by a series of post-ups, hook-shots with both hands, floaters, fadeaways, one-dribble pullups and free throws.

Things typically wrap up the same way: With a pointed, three-letter message from assistant coach Greg Buckner — one of the coaches granted the vital task of overseeing Mobley’s development.

H.O.F.

“It stands for Hall of Fame,” Buckner told cleveland.com during a recent interview about Mobley. “We say it to him every day at the end of every workout.

“He has the skill level to be a Hall of Famer. I tell him, ‘I want to remind you every day that when you get finished with this game, you are going to be a Hall of Famer and if you’re not, you let your body down, you didn’t reach your full potential.’”

So, how does the humble, laid-back Californian respond to those gloats?

“He says, ‘You’re right. I got you,’” Buckner explained. “From the first time I saw him and explained what I saw, he said, ‘You’re right. That’s what I want to be.’

“…. I’m obviously not going to say he’s LeBron (James), but we know we will never hang another banner if Evan is not a top 10 player in the league.”

Buckner isn’t the only member of the Cavaliers organization forecasting superstardom. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and assistant Luke Walton, the other two coaches coordinating Mobley’s development, see it, too.

“He’s a very unique player,” Walton told cleveland.com. “J.B. talks about it all the time with us: We need Evan to be one of the best players in this league, if not the best player in this league, if we’re gonna win championships. That’s our mission coming from J.B. — help him get to that level.”

“He has the ability to be a superstar without being the leading scorer. He has an opportunity to be the best player on the floor without having to take the most shots. That’s hard to find,” Bickerstaff said. “Very few superstars, which he’s going to work his way to be, can be that type of player without dominating the ball on the offensive end of the floor. We believe he has the ability, and we’ll get there.”

The Cavaliers have three All-Stars in their starting lineup: 22-year-old offensive wizard Darius Garland; shooting guard Donovan Mitchell; and center Jarrett Allen, at 24 one of the league’s best young bigs. Only the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors can make the same claim.

Mobley is the guy who isn’t an All-Star. Yet.

But Cleveland’s ultimate ceiling will be determined by its 7-foot wunderkind who has drawn comparisons to — and spent the last few years studying — Kevin Garnett, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis and Dirk Nowitzki.

“(Mobley) has a lot of little unique attributes of his own but also ones that other great players possess,” Buckner explained. “He has the size and skill level of K.G. or even Dirk without the 3-point ball. But he doesn’t have the Garnett intensity. He has the Anthony Davis unique skill set where he can play with the ball and things like that. But he doesn’t have A.D.’s girth right now. He has the same body type that Giannis had. But what Giannis did was he fell in love with the weight room.

“Evan needs to be in a position where people look at us and say, ‘Evan is their best player.’ It can’t be, ‘Donovan is their best player, Darius is their best player or J.A. is their best player.’ It has to be Evan.”

It seems like a heavy burden to carry for a 21-year-old player who has only completed one NBA season — albeit a splendid one. Mobley averaged 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks while being named first-team All-Rookie and Rookie of the Year runner-up.

But it’s a responsibility he wants — and welcomes.

“All the guys talk to me about that every day, about my importance to this franchise,” Mobley said during an exclusive interview with cleveland.com. “I know it. I understand it. I mean, I’m always striving for perfection. I’m always striving to be great. That’s always been a thing with me. I’m trying to take my game to another level this season. I’m coming in every game, trying to be the best player on the floor. I know I can be a lot better. I don’t know if there’s a certain way to measure how much better, but I know I can be a lot better.

“Just have to watch and see.”

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley is typically quiet and laid back. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

Mobley’s Glendale, Calif., apartment is about five minutes from Academy USA, the gym where he spends most of the summer. He woke up around 9 a.m. every day, ate breakfast made by a personal chef that Mobley recently hired and then left to begin the daily grind.

“Every offseason, I try to get into the gym like almost every day, but this offseason when I got in the gym, I was really focused on what I needed to work on for the upcoming season,” Mobley said. “Every single rep was very intentional.”

Mobley would either lift weights for an hour or do some on-court stuff. Whatever he did first, he did the opposite after. Two separate sessions.

Depending on how he felt after those workouts, Mobley would get information on the daily runs hosted by his trainer Olin Simplis, who is nicknamed the “Guard Whisperer” and runs a program he calls “Big Guard University.” Then Mobley would compete with — and against — some of the best NBA players that frequented the same hoops hotspot.

“Our gym is always filled with pros,” Mobley said. “I like that I have a chance to play against the best.”

This past summer, that gym had a first-time visitor: Kevin Durant.

Mobley closely watched Durant’s routine before the pickup games. He tried to collect any little pointers. There are now various Durant drills Mobley has added to his regimen as a result.

“Me and him, we were going at each other,” Mobley said when asked about those intense summer battles. “It was fun. He would go at me, and I would go at him. We were just working on our games. He told me that he liked my game. It challenges you. Like I said, it was really fun.”

Fun? Playing Durant is fun?

That’s just how Mobley is wired. He doesn’t get fazed by the bright lights. He isn’t unnerved having his face plastered on giant billboards hours after being drafted No. 3 in 2021. He doesn’t run from lofty comparisons. He wants the challenge. Asks for the toughest assignments. Believes he can handle them.

Walton has seen those special qualities since he joined the Cavs coaching staff.

A 10-year NBA player, three-time champion and twice a head coach, Walton had been out of the league since the Sacramento Kings fired him on Nov. 21, 2021. But Walton kept tabs on the Cavs from his palatial L.A. estate because of a 20-year bond with Bickerstaff. There was one player specifically Walton noticed: Mobley.

When Walton got the job this past May, he called Mobley and asked the youngster if he could watch him work out. One of the days just so happened to be a duel with Durant.

“When I was there, the fun thing about it was even though Kevin was scoring, Evan wanted to guard him, he wanted that matchup,” Walton said. “To have that mindset … s—, I would have been calling for switches and running down on the opposite side of the floor. He’s about the right things. He wants to win. He wants to be great. That’s what you’re looking for in players.”

During Mobley’s exit interview with the Cavs following the team’s play-in tournament losses to Brooklyn and Atlanta, members of the organization stressed to him the importance of getting bigger and stronger. Because of the lengthy season, his playing style and slender build, Mobley struggled maintaining his weight. There were times when he dropped a bit below 215 pounds.

The Cavs don’t need him to be bulky. It was more about functional strength in his base and core.

To stress the seriousness of that, the Cavs asked Mobley to not pick up a basketball for six weeks after the season ended. They helped create a strenuous lifting program and advised him on a new, healthier diet. President of basketball operations Koby Altman called Mobley’s commitment “incredible.” Mobley said his goal playing weight is around 220 pounds this coming season but swears he will get stronger every summer.

His biceps are more defined. His shoulders are broader. The physical transformation is in progress.

Uh, look out NBA?

“He hasn’t even scratched the surface of really how good he can be,” Kevin Love said. “But all the signs are there and he’s not afraid to work.

“When I saw him in L.A. when we were all there together, I thought, ‘OK, he’s going to make a big step.’ He’s one of those guys that’s like a unicorn, able to do it all.”

“Evan is on a mission right now,” Garland added. “I think that he’s on the mission of the Rookie of the Year campaign. I think he’s felt that this year, felt that this summer, and he really wants to show the world what he can do and what they missed out on last year.

“He’s coming in a lot more hungry. He’s a lot stronger. He knows more about the game than he did last year. We’re super excited to see his jump from last year to this year. I’m excited to see it — hopefully four All-Stars as well.”

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley was beat out by Toronto Raptors swingman Scottie Barnes for NBA Rookie of the Year honors. John Kuntz, cleveland.com

On April 23, just eight days after the Cavs season ended with a pair of crushing losses, the league announced the Rookie of the Year recipient. It would’ve been a small consolation prize for the team-oriented Mobley. Only it was another loss.

In the closest race under the current voting format that begin in 2002-03, Mobley got edged out by Toronto Raptors swingman Scottie Barnes — the guy selected one pick after Mobley in the 2021 NBA Draft. Fifteen total points separated them.

People close to Mobley — inside and outside the organization — were miffed. They still are.

“Yeah, we talked about that,” Isaiah Mobley admitted to cleveland.com. “Awards are going to come and go. He has a bunch of other ones. Of course, that one would be great. It sucks that he didn’t win. I was upset. But he will win plenty of other awards.”

“I’m pretty sure deep down he understands that he was better than the Rookie of the Year and I think he felt like he probably had a better year,” Buckner told cleveland.com. “But they had a higher seed and Evan got hurt at the end of the year. I think he will be an MVP before Scottie. Will it happen? Who knows. But I think Evan can be an MVP for sure.”

“I felt he deserved it,” Bickerstaff said. “Disappointed more than pissed but still, you understand the nature of it. In our mind, he was the Rookie of the Year.”

Mobley is soft spoken and reserved. Even though he admits having individual goals — all players do — he wasn’t willing to disclose them, other than the obvious one of leading the Cavs to the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

When the conversation turns to Mobley’s nightly impact or the effusive praise from scouts, teammates, coaches and opponents, Mobley pivots, making sure to discuss the team’s 44-win season and a collective hunger to heal the pain from last season’s injury-filled second-half collapse. And when the Rookie of the Year topic comes up, he deftly avoids it like a Eurostep against a stationary defender.

“It is what it is. They vote how they vote. Scottie is a good player,” Mobley told cleveland.com. “I’m not going to tell them that they voted wrong because that’s how they viewed it. I can only do what I control. I definitely feel like I had that kind of year where I could’ve won. I started good and feel like I maintained it the whole year. Got hurt a few times but that’s not an excuse. I’m just coming in this year ready to go harder.”

But what about Garland saying Mobley was on a “Rookie of the Year mission?” Did that claim come from Mobley? Did he use the snub as fuel throughout a cathartic summer?

“That’s what he says, not me,” Mobley explained. “I never told him that. I never told anybody that. I just strive to be great. I feel like regardless of whether I would have gotten the award or not I would’ve come in the same way, trying to elevate my game as much as I can.”

When the full results were revealed, Bickerstaff sent Mobley one text about being snubbed. The two haven’t discussed it since. But Bickerstaff knows. He can see it. The fire in Mobley’s eyes smolders. His attitude has changed. He has an edge. A different persona that he’s tapped into.

“I would say he’s a little more pissed off,” Bickerstaff said. “I do feel like there is a slight in his mind of not winning the Rookie of the Year. Sometimes on the outside they see his lack of expression, but they don’t know the hunger that burns deep down inside of him. There’s a competitive fire there to be a part of a great team but also to be one of the greats to play this game.”

Rancho Christian’s Evan Mobley (4) is seen with his brother Isaiah (3) during a game against McEachern in 2019.AP

The Cavs are planning to unleash Mobley in a variety of ways on the offensive end, wanting him to play with a freer mind. They’re urging him to yank down rebounds and push, tapping into his guard background. They’ve asked him to be more aggressive and vocal. They’ve sharpened his footwork and given him the green light as a 3-point shooter — even though that doesn’t mean becoming a full-time spacer.

Mobley shot 29 of 92 (25%) from deep last season. Cleveland’s decision-makers believe Mobley can one day become a 36-40% 3-point shooter because of his natural form, soft touch and incredible work ethic.

“If he gets a 3-point shot it’s over,” Buckner said.

Sometimes Mobley will be in the Dunker Spot. Other times, he will become an offensive hub, with the freedom to initiate from the top of the key or the elbow, using his size, speed, length and added strength to dribble into the lane against retreating, overmatched defenders, something Mobley’s veteran teammate saw firsthand during training camp.

“It’s been part fun playing against him in scrimmages and part terror though because when he gets a full head of steam headed down the floor, he can either pull up for that midrange jump shot or he attacks the rim like a bulldog,” Robin Lopez said. “It’s so difficult to guard.”

Mobley’s no longer a pup. It’s a stark difference from his rookie year, when Bickerstaff, Buckner and teammates tried to get the introvert to come out of his shell and be more bullish. A perfectionist and his own worst critic, Mobley watched plenty of film as part of his offseason expansion. He noticed moments of timidity that left him rolling his eyes and shaking his head. Chalk it up to youth and inexperience.

“I’m definitely going to change that,” Mobley said with a look of determination. “I feel like last year I really didn’t know where my spots were as much as I know now. I know where I’m going to get the ball, how I want to score and stuff like that. It’s like second nature. First year I was learning the system and trying to learn players as well. I think this year it’s going to translate better.”

Mobley promises to be “everywhere” this coming season. He takes great pride in the defensive end, determined to help Cleveland maintain its top 5 status despite some personnel changes. The system places the utmost importance on protecting the paint. It’s built around Mobley and Allen — the two anchors with Defensive Player of the Year potential.

Because of that, Mobley knows part of his role is to communicate constantly, something that didn’t come naturally In Year 1. Teammates have singled him out as one of the loudest players at practice.

That shift is part of what went into the Cavs’ decision to draft his brother, Isaiah, with the No. 49 pick.

“Evan got lucky and we got lucky that his brother can play basketball too,” Buckner said. “Isaiah is the guy who talks all the time, and he talks all the time to Evan as brothers do. It forces Evan to talk more.”

“My mom is out here, he’s out here now consistently, so it’s easier to go places and stuff,” Evan said. “It’s not just me and myself. I have my brother there that’s actually my brother. It’s easier, familiar, I know the landscape a little more this year as well. I’ve showed him around.”

The Mobley brothers have played together at every level — peewee, high school, college and now the NBA. They shared the court for the first time as pros during Friday’s preseason finale against the Orlando Magic, when Evan made his return from a sprained ankle.

Depending on how often the Cavs call up Isaiah from the G League Charge, the two could continue building that on-court connection. By rule, since Isaiah is on a two-way contract, he is only allowed to play a maximum of 50 games with the Cavs.

But while with the organization, big bro and little bro can renew those driveway battles. They can push each other. Bring out the best in one another.

“We talk to Evan about it all the time. We tell him there is only one guy that can guard you on our team and it’s Isaiah,’” Buckner said with a chuckle. “Isaiah knows Evan’s game. Isaiah is always like, ‘I gave you that move! You can’t use it on me!’ But Evan knows not many people can guard him — if anybody. He knows how good he is. It’s only gonna get better.”

According to Isaiah, younger brother stole the hard right middle jump hook and some back-to-the-basket maneuvers. Isaiah says Evan also got his same humor and wit — even though Isaiah is more of an extrovert.

“But that post fade, that’s his,” Isaiah told cleveland.com. “He developed that one. He’s got his own tricks. He can jump. He can run fast. Has really good timing. But he has a great mindset and is a quick learner. He’s been watching me since I was little and watching everyone else and just kind of takes what he can use best from each and every person and then applies it to his own game. He’s always getting better.”

For Mobley, that improvement has been evident. At least, behind the scenes.

Bickerstaff — and other assistants — flew to Los Angeles multiple times to watch Mobley work out. Once was in August at the University of Southern California, Mobley’s alma mater where his dad, Eric, is also an assistant coach. Showing newfound leadership and attention to detail, Mobley helped organize those voluntary, player-led sessions. He put his stamp on the five-on-five scrimmages — and then carried that ferocity into camp.

“You can tell that his confidence has gone up,” said frontcourt partner Allen. “I don’t know what his weight is, but he definitely seems stronger when guarding him. More confidence means better play on the court. It’s a scary thing.”

While Mitchell might be new to the team, Mobley’s been on his radar for years. The two first clashed when Mobley was in high school — a wiry prodigy who had just experienced a growth spurt while starting to receive national attention. Mobley didn’t back down then either.

“He’s much better, and I don’t mean that in a bad way,” Mitchell explained. “He was really good in high school and he’s really, really good now. His natural feel for the game as a defender, as an offensive player, there’s certain things you just can’t teach.”

Pick a word. Remarkable. Transcendent. Mystical. Special. They all fit.

Mobley is a 7-foot defensive pillar who moves like a guard, can do backflips on the beach with ease, wins dribbling contests against teammates, is equally comfortable on the perimeter as he is in the lane and possesses a feathery touch. Or to borrow Love’s word: A unicorn.

It’s an apt descriptor. The Cavs won’t soar to basketball Narnia without him.