Evan Mobley puts on the pivot clothes

Author of a very good first season in the NBA, Evan Mobley has taken on a new dimension in recent days. And for good reason: with the injury of Jarrett Allen (broken finger), the rookie from Cleveland has recovered the position of pivot holder.

He had already made stints in this position this season, but now he is the owner for several matches in a row. And in three games since his All-Star teammate joined the infirmary, he has compiled 19.3 points on 53% shooting success, 10.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals on average.

“To tell the truth, I think he is very good”answers JB Bickerstaff at The Athletic. “He is present on the rebound, in the racket, he does a lot of things. He has more opportunities in attack, with his cuts. He manages to create with the ball in his hands. He looks comfortable and he is excellent. “

“We ask a lot of him at the moment, the coach like the team. We need him to step up a notch with the absence of Allen.

The player confirms this impression. “It’s fun and I feel like I’m going back to the good old days when I was playing pivot. ” As Evan Mobley has already evolved in this position, this season as a youngster, and he is versatile, it is very easy for him to put on this costume and perform in stride.

“There is a generation of players who do not have a position”continues JB Bickerstaff. “We see it more and more with 2m03 players filling in the gaps. I think Mobley is one of those players, but he’s 2m10, and as his career progresses, we’re going to see him play in many positions. The old-fashioned positions, 1-2-3-4-5, we no longer use them because the players are versatile and we can put them anywhere on the floor. Evan is like that and he happens to be very tall. “

By being closer to the circle, Evan Mobley has still changed his game a bit. He can attack the circle more easily, because usually, Jarrett Allen is near the basket and the rookie is more in the perimeter.

There, he takes advantage of the spacing with Kevin Love or Lauri Markkanen at his side, and can play pick-and-roll with Darius Garland.

“He is aggressive. We still have to keep working on the moments when he catches the ball, to give him enough space to play.” commented the coach after the defeat against the Bulls. “Most things seem natural to him,” adds Kevin Love. “He shoots well, he’s good at rebounding, he protects the racquet. We ask a lot of him at the moment, the coach like the team. We need him to step up a notch with Allen’s absence. He plays well, he accepts the physical fight and he will continue to improve. “