Cavaliers second-round pick Isaiah Mobley has a familiar voice in his ear. That would be none other than brother Evan Mobley, the Cavs’ first-round find in 2021.
Evan offered Isaiah advice when it came to playing in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
“He’s like, ‘Don’t be afraid to mess up because … you’re a rookie; it’s a part of the process,’” Isaiah said of Evan, via Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. “And then he’s like, ‘You know what you can do, you know your abilities.’ I mean, I’ve done it at every level, so he just reminds me of that.”
Isaiah has a similar game to Evan. He’s a big man who can shoot and pass and keep thing flowing on offense. He’s actually sort of a poor man’s Evan.
The knock against Isaiah is that he was in less-than-ideal shape while at USC. That doesn’t seem to be an issue now — at least not for the Cavs, who signed him to a two-way contract. So theoretically, he will split time between the Cavs and Cleveland Charge of the G League.
The Cavs selected Isaiah Mobley with the No. 49 overall pick. At 22-years old, he’s actually a year older than Evan. (Isaiah turns 23 in September.)
“When I found out it was Cleveland, at first, I was speechless,” Isaiah said, via Russo. “I didn’t have anything to say. Then it all kind of set in after about five seconds, and I was hugging my parents, and I was like emotional. It was a good moment.
“(Evan) was extremely excited. He was literally right here on my right, and he was in my face, smiling. We got some pictures of it. It was a great all-around moment.”
Again, scouts were a bit concerned with Isaiah’s conditioning entering the draft. One GM told Seth Davis of The Athletic that defense could be an issue.
“He’s big, he can really pass, he really knows how to play, but his body has a long way to go,” the GM told Davis. “He’s kind of chubby and he has slow feet, so I don’t know where you put him defensively.”
Nonetheless, he left Cavs summer coach Mike Gerrity impressed after the Vegas run.
“I mean, he’s comfortable with the ball in his hands,” Gerrity said, via Russo. “So we’re trying to put it in his hands at times to allow him to make the plays. And I think when him and (Ochai Agbaji) are coming into the dribble-handoff, it’s a really lethal combination, especially out here in summer league.
“And so, he’s growing, and he’s learning, just like the rest of these guys. But just his decision-making, his ability to make passes, make the right reads, and he’s an unselfish player.”
Sounds a lot like another Mobley who also plays for the Cavs. And while Isaiah isn’t Evan, he may be able to offer something similar as things progress.
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