The opening tip  Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley has had a strong start to his rookie season. (David Zalubowski/AP) | The post-LeBron Cavaliers might finally have a franchise player in Evan Mobley LOS ANGELES — To be selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA draft lottery is to join an eclectic group, whose members include LeBron James, perhaps the easiest No. 1 pick in modern history, and Anthony Bennett, perhaps the worst No. 1 pick ever. Don't forget Kyrie Irving, the league's most perplexing star, and Andrew Wiggins, who got traded before making his professional debut. When Evan Mobley went third to Cleveland last July, the 6-foot-11 USC product joined Collin Sexton, Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro, the franchise's three previous lottery picks. That trio, taken in the years since James departed for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, has needed time to acclimate. Sexton, a scoring-minded guard selected in 2018, didn't receive a rookie contract extension this fall. Garland, a promising point guard taken in 2019, has started since Day One but is now sharing responsibilities with veteran Ricky Rubio. And Okoro, a defensive-minded wing drafted fifth in 2020, took his lumps as a rookie starter before shifting to the bench this season. Without a centerpiece talent to stabilize the roster, Cleveland went 60-159 (.274) over the past three seasons, a steep drop-off from four straight Finals trips with James from 2015 to 2018. In his first two weeks, though, Mobley has outpaced his predecessors and defied conventional wisdom, which stipulates that rookie big men require extra patience due to the physical nature of the professional game and the significant defensive responsibilities placed upon them. The 20-year-old Mobley, who spent just one season in college, has hit the ground running, offering hints that he could develop into Cleveland's long-awaited franchise player. "I feel like I'm getting adjusted to the NBA pretty fast," Mobley said Friday, after scoring a season-high 23 points and grabbing six rebounds against the Lakers. "I'm catching on to a lot of things. As I play more and more games, I'm getting better and more acclimated. I feel like I'm pretty ahead of schedule so far." Indeed, Mobley has made an instant impact, leading the Cavaliers in minutes played and posting averages of 13.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. His length and defensive versatility prompted pre-draft comparisons to Anthony Davis, and his stat line nearly mirrors Davis's rookie averages of 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. "He's the same size I was coming into the league," Davis said after their first head-to-head matchup. "Pretty skinny. Elite shot-blocker. Lob threat. He probably shot it a little better than me [as a rookie], to be honest. His game is going to progress. He has the potential to be a three-level scorer." As Mobley develops, Cleveland will lean more heavily on his playmaking skills and pure shooting stroke. He will also need to add upper-body strength to become a more reliable post-up scorer and fine-tune his ballhandling if he wants to become a true perimeter threat. Although it remains to be seen whether Mobley will be able to establish himself as a lead scoring option like Davis, his defensive impact is already evident. Cleveland (3-4) has enjoyed early wins over the Atlanta Hawks, Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers — three of the final eight teams standing in the 2021 playoffs — and ranked 13th in defensive efficiency through Sunday after finishing 25th last season. Mobley contested 114 shots in his first seven games, easily the most in the NBA. What's more, he ranks first leaguewide in contesting both two-point attempts and three-point attempts, an achievement which speaks to his mobility, energy and natural fit in the pace-and-space era. Mobley's readiness has enabled Coach J.B. Bickerstaff to field a supersized front line featuring 6-10 center Jarrett Allen and 6-11 forward Lauri Markkanen that has posed problems for smaller opponents. And unlike many unseasoned big men, Mobley has maintained a high activity level without encountering serious foul trouble. "He approaches every game the same way, with the mind-set of how I help my team win," Bickerstaff said. "That's why you don't see him riding that emotional roller coaster. When you approach the game that way, all the distractions and the clutter are out of your mind. All you're thinking about is this game and this moment, and that allows you to play freely." Irving is fond of saying that "comparison is the thief of joy," but not so when it comes to the depth of quality at the top of the 2021 draft class, which is sure to spark years of debates. In addition to Mobley, Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, the No. 4 pick, has enjoyed a strong start, averaging 18.1 points and 8.9 rebounds in his first seven games. Meanwhile, Cade Cunningham, the Detroit Pistons' top selection, debuted Saturday with two points, seven rebounds and two assists after missing the opening week with an ankle injury. Jalen Green, the No. 2 pick to the Houston Rockets, has looked shaky, struggling with inefficient shooting and questionable decision-making in the early going. "I'm not at all worried [about Green]," Rockets Coach Stephen Silas said Sunday. "I've coached a whole bunch of rookies in my career. I've seen it all. Getting off to great starts and then leveling off. I've seen uneven starts. I've seen [guys with] really, really poor starts become really good basketball players. You can't take the first six games of the season and judge at all what he can be or what kind of season it's going to be for him." After getting second-guessed for selecting Bennett, Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson with high lottery picks over the years, Cleveland might find itself on the other side of the conversation with Mobley down the road. What matters now is that he has already shown himself to be a more complete player than Sexton, Garland and Okoro. Plus, his steady personality and commitment to team concepts should help him evolve into a leadership role that eluded the likes of Irving and Waiters. There will never be a "Next LeBron" for the Cavaliers, but Mobley — who describes himself as "naturally a mellow guy" who seeks to avoid "getting too amped up [because] that's how you make mistakes" — appears well-suited to become the future face of the franchise. His case is aided by the fact that he and James are wholly different players with wholly different personalities: While the expressive James fashioned his reputation with coast-to-coast drives and pretty no-look passes, Mobley is content to quietly do the dirty work and to reveal his own impressive athleticism in contained flashes. "He's going to be a damn good basketball player in this league," James said, offering a coveted stamp of approval. "They got a good one. Cleveland has a good one." | 
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