The Next Step Cavs Will Want in Evan Mobley’s Development

Like so many other players on this Cavaliers roster, It feels as if Evan Mobley is entering a pivotal season. Which seems odd to say about the all-star caliber big man. But the reality is, so much of the team's success moving forward hinges upon the continued improvement of Mobley. He remains the team’s best bet towards winning at the highest level.

Yes, the acquisition of big athletic wing Peyton Watson should move the needle, but in order for Cleveland to further elevate themselves past very strong competition in the Eastern conference, Mobley has to shoulder more of the offensive burden than he currently does.

The question is, what does that look like? Honestly, there are a number of logical options with which to choose from. Despite progressing in a few areas over the years on the offensive side of the basketball, he is far from a finished product. He is coming off a 2025-26 campaign that saw him post averages of 18.2 Points, 9.0 Rebounds, 3.6 Assists, and 1.7 Blocks, while completing roughly 54.6% of his field goal attempts.

On the surface, that's a respectable stat-line. I mean, he was 1 of only 8 players to average at least 18.0 Points, 9.0 Rebounds, and 3.0 Assists, and 1 of 2 players (Wemby), league-wide, to do so while averaging over 1.0 Block per game. But in watching Mobley, it often felt like something was missing. That being the perimeter shot.

Evan Mobley was one of a select few to average at least 18.0 PTS, 9.0 REB, and 3.0 or more AST in 2025-26.

He's still far from a finished product imo. pic.twitter.com/iHF4eECVHJ
— Its Cavalier (@ItsCavalier_Pod) September 11, 2026

The USC product is coming off what can only be described as a down season from range as he converted on a lowly 29.7% of his three-point attempts in 2025-26, highest lowest rate since 2022-23. This felt especially disappointing because he was fresh off back-to-back campaigns of completing at least 37.0%. Just as he appeared to be truly rounding the corner as floor spacer, he took a major step back.

The big man provided little to no impact from deep, especially as a catch-and-shooter, knocking down just 31.7% of those opportunities and quite literally finishing within the 15th percentile in catch & shoot 3PT Shot Making Efficiency. Suffice it to say that he was ineffective in that regard.

And while he may have leaned into his midrange game slightly more than he did in the two seasons prior by knocking down 22/49 (44.9%), he is still mostly a non-threat to go to work in the midrange. An area of his game that many have pleaded for him to work on.

Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that adding a reliable face-up game to his arsenal would take Mobley from fringe all-star to top 15 player instantly but doing so would require enough touches to further develop that part of his game. It’s that conundrum that keeps me from fully leaning into that as the next major piece of development for the big man.

This leads me to what I ultimately believe will take Mobley to the next step. High-post facilitation. In short, make Mobley into an offensive hub of sorts.

The Cleveland Cavaliers utilizing Evan Mobley as an offensive hub from the high-post/elbow would be a great way to make use of his touches, especially with Peyton Watson in town now.

Yes, it's going to require more off-ball movement from others but what better time than now? pic.twitter.com/s1AoML9qdv
— Mack Perry (@DevaronPerry) September 11, 2026

He is already such a quality short-roll passer and is more than capable of making the correct reads with the ball in his hands when on the move. It’s a massive reason why he finished with a career-high 3.6 assists in 2025-26 and has averaged at least 3.2 per game dating back 3 years.

And while I wouldn’t go as far as to say that he’s a Jokic level passer, he’s certainly a better facilitator than what his numbers indicate. I really think there is a reality in which he could secure 4-6 dimes per game if the Cavaliers utilize him as an offensive hub, especially with a cutter the caliber of Peyton Watson in town now.

Throw him in the high-post or elbow and allow him to take advantage of his size and vision. It would require more off-ball movement from others, especially the guards, which is no easy task considering that neither Donovan Mitchell nor James Harden have been great off the ball. But there has never been a better time then now for that to change.

New York utilized Karl-Anthony Towns to great effect in this regard. Why can't Cleveland do the same with Mobley?

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