Cleveland Cavaliers HC Reveals Intriguing Next Step for Evan Mobley

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson spoke out with an intriguing way Evan Mobley can take the next step.

Feb 21, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) defends Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) during the second half at Rocket Arena. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers are excited about the growth they have seen from young forward Evan Mobley this season. That improvement is part of the reason the Cavaliers hold a 46-10 record at this point in the year.

Simply from a statistical standpoint, Mobley has taken a huge jump during the 2024-25 season.

Through his first 50 games this year, Mobley have averaged a career-high 18.6 points per game to go along with 9.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.6 blocks. He has also shot 57.2 percent from the floor overall and has knocked down 37.9 percent of his three-point attempts.

His production is exactly what head coach Kenny Atkinson and the franchise was hoping to see from him.

That being said, Mobley still has plenty of room to grow. At just 23 years old, he has not even scratched the surface of his full potential.

To that end, Atkinson spoke out with an intriguing way that the rising star forward can take the next step in his career. He wants to see Mobley playing with more confidence.

“There is a belief with these guys, they get to a certain point — Donovan’s got it, Darius I think has it — they have this almost irrational confidence,” Atkinson said. “And Evan’s not a not-confident person, but we need to get him to be little more irrational, a little more, ‘Man, I am going to be this guy.’ I think that’s his next step, because all the tools are there — physical, technical, shooting, the whole thing.”

Honestly, Atkinson is 100 percent right. If Mobley can simply find the same kind of irrational confidence that Mitchell and Garland play with, his game could take another jump.

Hearing him talk recently about thinking he can be the best player in the NBA in the future is a great start. Mobley doesn't talk much, especially like that.

Ideally, he will continue growing at a rate that he has shown so far throughout his first four years. He's still young and his skill-set can get him where he wants to go. Now, he just to continue taking step after step to get where he's capable of going.