Meet draft prospect Evan Mobley
Andy Katz sits down with USC's Evan Mobley ahead of the 2021 NBA Draft.
Draft Home | Draft Board | Teams | Prospects
About Evan Mobley
• Evan Mobley is rangy center with the length and mobility to be a gamechanger defensively who flashed significant upside as a scorer while leading USC to the Elite Eight last season. Emerging as one of the top prospects in the high school class of 2020 early in his career, Mobley played a key role on the United States team that won the 2018 FIBA U17 World Championship and earned another gold medal at the U19 World Championship the summer before his senior year. Capping his prep career at Rancho Christian School (CA) with McDonald’s All-American and Morgan Wooten National Player of the Year honors, the Murrieta native opted to join his brother, Isaiah, and father, Eric, at USC. Quickly establishing himself as a force on the defensive end for Head Coach Andy Enfield’s Trojans while averaging 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, and 2.4 assists per game, Mobley not only swept all of the Pac-12’s top individual honors, but was named a Consensus second-team All-American as he solidified himself as one of the more intriguing center prospects in recent memory.
• Listed at 7’0 in shoes with a developing 215-pound frame, Mobley has room to get stronger, but his 7’4 wingspan and agility give him tantalizing potential as a difference maker on both ends.
• Anchoring one of the top defensive units in the country, Mobley may have room to become a more physical rebounder and one-on-one defender but was spectacular for stretches last season using verticality to block shots, timing his jumps, and sliding with smaller players on the perimeter.
• Getting touches in a variety of ways, Mobley was as the most prolific finisher in college basketball last season. His size and athleticism made him an ideal target rolling to the rim, a constant threat to finish lobs, a viable threat in the open floor, and an efficient put back scorer. Looking more aggressive sometimes than others with opportunities to operate out of the post and attack from the perimeter, he nonetheless flashed a unique combination of shooting touch, coordination with the ball, and vision as a passer for a 19-year-old 7-footer.
Advanced Stats
• Averaging a tremendous 1.41 points per shot around the rim in the half court [90th percentile], Mobley’s tools make him a constant threat to play above the rim, but he also scored an impressive 1.14 points per floater [92nd percentile] as his ability to drop in shots with touch shined last season. Scoring prolifically rolling the basket, Mobley also regularly stepped out to the perimeter to catch at the point, served as the target of some designed cuts, was a presence on the offensive glass, and even looked to go one-on-one against slower footed centers from the perimeter. While assertiveness looking to impose his will on games wavered at times last season, he displayed unique versatile for a young 7-footer.
• Scoring 0.97 points per jump shot in the half court [61st percentile], Mobley showed potential as a three-point threat, made some impressive passes on the move, and drew fouls in bunches some nights off the dribble as he flashed the ability to carry USC offensively in brief spurts.
• Averaging 0.71 points per post-up possession [29th percentile], he has room to get stronger to allow him to make better use of his touch inside against smaller big men and deal with more physical defenders when attacking the rim from the mid-post.
Defensive Analysis
• Mobley was the driving force behind a defense that allowed a Division I-best 45% shooting in finishing situations in the half court. Not only did he block shots at a strong rate with his impressive combination of length and timing, but he effected many others as well.
• Sliding his feet impressively to stay in front of smaller players when switching on the perimeter, his lateral speed gives him schematic versatility a lot of rim protectors in his mold tend to lack.
• Allowing 0.57 points per post up possession [88th percentile], Mobley held his own more consistently in some matchups on the block than others at the college level. Able to challenge shots effectively without leaving the floor and doing an excellent job avoiding fouls, he held up well for the most part, but found mixed results in spots against more imposing back to the basket scorers and physical rebounders.
— Profile by Synergy Sports
