Much is being made about Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley taking the next step this coming season, but what does he need to do to make that jump?

Hit more threes? Sure. Blow by slower defenders more? Absolutely. Stay healthy? You bet.

But NBA legend Kevin Garnett sees another aspect missing from Mobley’s game: a mean streak.

During a recent episode of the KG Certified podcast, Garnett and Paul Pierce discussed Mobley, and KG revealed some stern advice to Mobley.

“He got to go to the next level, P,” Garnett told Pierce. “He got to get a little meaner. Evan, you too nice, my dude. Start calling for that [ball]. Throw that (expletive) down here. Start calling for it my dude.”

Garnett may have a point.

After all, Mobley’s scoring average actually dipped last season, as he went from averaging 16.2 points per game in 2022-23 to 15.7 points per game last year. Additionally, he attempted just 11 shots per game, compared to 12 per game in both his rookie campaign and his sophomore season.

Of course, Mobley is playing in an offense that also features Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, so there are only so many shots to go around.

But if the 23-year-old truly wants to elevate his game, he is going to need to be a bit more aggressively offensively, and that may be exactly what the Cavaliers need.

Cleveland doesn’t really have a proven tertiary scorer at the moment, but the answer could have been right under the Cavs’ noses all along.