'Do you believe it?': Cavs love that Evan Mobley has belief he can be NBA's best

‘Do you believe it?’: Cavs love that Evan Mobley has belief he can be NBA’s best

Posted by author February 22, 2025 NBA

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CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers have been expressing for years their belief that Evan Mobley can evolve into a star player in the NBA for years to come.

It seemed the last person in the building to believe that might have been Mobley himself.

The Cavs are thrilled to see they might getting through to him, though, and a big boost of confidence is beginning to shine through for the 23-year-old All-Star having his best NBA season to date.

During an All-Star Game-related availability in San Francisco, before Mobley’s first appearance in the game, he was asked a direct question — who will be the face of the NBA in five years?

He gave the type of answer the Cavs have been wanting to hear for a while now.

“I mean, me,” Mobley said, before adding, “Victor [Wembanyama] probably, definitely is going to be [in it as well].”

That’s still some elite territory. And for Mobley, it’s the biggest self-acknowledgement of his own potential to date.

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Mobley has blossomed under first-year Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson, which was a key part of the interview process.

Entering Friday night, when he played a key role in the Cavs crushing the New York Knicks 142-105, Mobley was averaging 18.5 points on 56.7% shooting from the floor, 9.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists. That’s in addition to being a top contender to be named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, particularly after Wembanyama had his season ended because of a blood clot in his shoulder.

Atkinson and the Cavs have been encouraging Mobley to shoot more 3s, knowing he can stretch the floor more than he has in the past. They’ve gotten him more involved in the pick-and-roll game. His defensive versatility is a central piece to how they operate on that side of the floor.

Mobley showed Atkinson he has so much offensive potential that it kept the Cleveland coach up at night dreaming of the possibilities. Those dreams are slowly becoming reality, and the Cavs are glad to see Mobley puffing out his chest a bit more.

“I’ve said this to Evan, ‘Your next step is believing that,'” Atkinson said, referring to Mobley’s comment that he could be the best player in the league in five years. “‘Do you believe? You have all the tools, you’re making progress with your consistency.'”

Atkinson’s message: Get irrational with it. Go all the way over the top. There is no ceiling to this.

“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.”

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The Cavs largely ran back the same roster from last year after falling to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs. The belief was that with some better health at the right time and with a coach hand-picked to run an offense tailored to the roster, the Cavs could take the leap to being a top contender in the NBA.

But there was another major, crucial element to that plan — Mobley’s development into the type of star talent the Cavs believe was possible. Considering he’s still only 23 years old, the Cavs were determined to stay the course, with Mobley’s development a key part of it all.

“It matters a lot,” Atkinson said of confidence being a key component to players reaching their full potential. “There’s some guys, they’re in the fifth grade and they have it, and there’s some guys that grow into it, and I’d just say from my [perspective], we’re trying to foster that environment, right? Giving him more responsibility, pushing him to shoot more, attack more, be more vocal defensively, all of those things.

“That’s been part of his jump this year. There’s been real progress there, so I’m glad he backed it up with words that he thinks he can get there.”