Why Cavs haven't brought Evan Mobley's brother back for 2024-25 season

09/13/2024 10:48 AM

With less than a month to go until training camp, the Cleveland Cavaliers have recently made several roster moves. After signing Tristan Thompson to a veteran minimum deal, the Cavs are locked into 14 players on their active roster. After bringing over Luke Travers, re-signing Emoni Bates, and signing J.T. Thor, Cleveland is also at its limit for two-way signings. Since the Cavs are typically a team that only carries 14 players on their active roster heading into the regular season, Isaiah Mobley, the older brother of Evan Mobley, could currently be the odd man out.

A former second-round pick by Cleveland in the 2022 NBA Draft, the elder Mobley has been on two-way contracts his entire Cavs tenure. In that stretch, Mobley’s counting stats haven’t been much, averaging 2.5 points on 42.3% shooting and 1.4 rebounds.

However, to be fair to Mobley, he’s only averaged 7.1 minutes per game in 22 total appearances in the NBA. Instead, Mobley has done most of his damage with the Cleveland Charge, Cleveland’s NBA G League affiliate.

With the Charge, Mobley has averaged 22.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 34.7 minutes per game. Mobley has also connected on 33.3% of his three-point attempts and 50.0% of his overall field-goal attempts.

Moreover, Mobley was a G League All-Star last season, carried the Charge in the 2022-23 playoffs, and was the Finals MVP for the Cavs’ Las Vegas Summer League championship. However, those accomplishments didn't bring him that much closer to his goal, given that success was coming at center—a position he doesn't have the build to thrive at in the NBA.

Can Isaiah Mobley stick with the Cavs long-term?

Mobley is a true power forward at the NBA level, unlike his younger brother, who can play either power forward or center. Simply put, there aren't many 6' 8" centers that positively impact the NBA. The same can't be said about the G League. The lack of quality interior play is a talent gap between the two leagues. This is where the elder Mobley thrived for the better part of a year and a half. But, at the NBA level, it can’t translate.

That’s why you saw the Cavs sign Thompson instead of Mobley to act as the team’s third big man. Cleveland’s current situation at power forward, with Georges Niang and Dean Wade as the backups behind the younger Mobley, also keeps his elder brother from backing him up.

Would the Cavs love more outside shooting at power forward? Absolutely. However, Mobley is still adjusting to playing strictly the four at the NBA level in the G League, keeping him from being on Cleveland’s opening night roster.

But the Cavs having all three two-way spots filled makes Mobley’s future with the team tricky. It’s even trickier when Mobley is technically an unrestricted free agent. Mobley didn’t play for Cleveland during Summer League; his last on-court appearance was during the Bahamian National Team workouts. Other than that, it’s been crickets for the elder Mobley.

Mobley’s open free agency market hasn’t had any traction. So, with that in mind, there’s a good chance he’s back with the Cavs for training camp. However, it won’t be on a guaranteed deal. Instead, it will probably be on an Exhibit 10 contract, which would send Mobley back to the Charge unless he somehow made the team.

Again, Cleveland isn’t a team that usually has a full roster entering the regular season. So, while Mobley could buck that trend, it feels more likely that he’ll be back with the Charge next season. It’ll be another step for Mobley to get to the NBA, and hopefully, it’s with the Cavs for most of his career.

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