Mobley is basically Christian Wood out there. It's hard not to think he's a disappointment so far as an NBA player. So much potential there still. Hopefully he can put it together as he gets older.
Nah, that's not fair. The guy is a difference-maker on defense. Good perimeter defender, good presence in the paint. Also Cleveland's best individual defender on Tatum or Brown. Cleveland's problem is that he can't do all those things at once. There's only one of him out there and the rest of their team is just too small with Allen out.
He's not a go-to scorer and probably never will be, but that's okay - he can play. A more balanced roster with better overall size would showcase Mobley as one of the most impactful defenders in the league IMO.
Yes, I agree.
Mobley is one of the top defensive PFs in the league.
I do not consider him a top defensive center but he is an above average defender at center. His lack of bulk becomes more of an issue at the five than at forward.
Mobley is doing as well as he can for a team with very little defensive integrity without Jarrett Allen around. They have a defensive liability at PG in Garland. They have SG pretending to be a SF in Strus who is a defensive & rebounding liability at SF. They have Okoro at PF who is a short SF and woefully overmatched at PF and is again a defensive & rebounding liability. D Mitchell is actually their most solid defender 1-4 but he was struggling defensively due to an injury. So the whole team defense is collapsing around Mobley.
It is not his fault that other guys cannot cover their positions. Mobley is doing everything he can to cover for them. But he is only one man.
It was the same issue against Orlando in the final few games. Mobley was their best defender on Banchero. But he was also their only rim protector / interior help defender. He couldn't do both jobs. It was one or the other. Either you stop Banchero and have no help defense. Or you have help defense but you let Banchero go off.