Did Rockets Make Right Call Taking Jalen Green vs. Evan Mobley?

The Houston Rockets had a big decision with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Jan 16, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green is proving to many why he was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

However, debates are still flying as to whether or not the Rockets made the right decision by taking Green over Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley.

Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale added fuel to the flames, stating that the Rockets should have taken Mobley with the pick instead of Green.

"Evan Mobley doesn't initiate enough of the Cleveland Cavaliers offense to render him a consensus top-two pick. But he has leveled up his handle in traffic and finishing through contact and is providing enough stretch from beyond the arc these days to register as much more than an interior play finisher," Favale writes.

"Coupling this continued offensive growth with truly absurd defense cements his case over the likes of Franz Wagner, Alperen Şengün and Scottie Barnes, among many others.

"Mobley's impact scales from the outside in—a true rarity. And he joins Bam Adebayo and Jaren Jackson Jr. as perhaps the only names who could finish top-three in Defensive Player of the Year voting regardless of whether they're spending most of their time at the 4 or the 5."

Mobley has been a big part of Cleveland's success over the past few years and is slightly ahead of schedule compared to the Rockets. Mobley and the Cavs have won a playoff series together while Green and the Rockets are still searching for their first postseason appearance.

It's likely that it will happen this year, which means the Rockets aren't far behind schedule compared to the Cavs, but it would be interesting to go back in time to see what would happen if Houston took Mobley over Green.

The Rockets are likely happy with Green, especially with his current production levels, but a Mobley-centric Houston team might have also had success.

The Rockets and Cavs will face off twice in the coming week, playing in Houston at the Toyota Center on Wednesday before the two teams meet on Saturday in Cleveland at RocketMortgage Fieldhouse.

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