Season review: Isaiah Mobley

Mobley is still trying to figure out how his skillset best translates to the NBA.

Isaiah Mobley faces many of the same issues his younger brother Evan does but on a different scale. Like Evan, Isaiah has been stuck between two positions as a professional. He’s gravitated toward what he’s comfortable doing and what helps his team in the short term. But both have clearly defined positions that they still need to grow into.

For Evan, that’s center. For Isaiah, that’s power forward.

There aren’t many 6’ 8” centers that make a positive impact in the NBA. The same can’t be said about the G League. The lack of quality interior play is the biggest talent gap between the two leagues. This is where Mobley thrived for the better part of a year and a half.

Mobley was a G League All-Star last season, carried the Charge in the 2022-23 playoffs, and was the Finals MVP for the Las Vegas Summer League championship. However, those accomplishments weren’t bringing 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.

“Sometimes you get caught up in the G League where you can go dominate and you put your head down and get a basket when you want,” Charge head coach Mike Gerrity said. “But you [have to] always try to keep the big picture in mind of knowing how I’m going to play and where are my shots are going to come from. I thought especially toward the end of the season, he started to take some good steps in that area.”

This transition is why there was such a dip in Mobley’s G League numbers from his rookie season to this past one. Mobley scored 21.5 points with an effective field goal percentage of 56% in 2022-23. This past season, it was just 18.1 points with a 53.9 effective field goal percentage.

“It took me the whole season to get back into feeling like a four,” Mobley said last month. “I think it was the hardest thing this season. I feel like at the end [of the season] I was able to do that.”

This included adjusting to the differences between the two positions on the defensive side of the floor.

“Your rotations are different,” Mobley said. “As a five you’re just hanging around the basket. The four is in support of the five. I’m not necessarily just running at the ball. More so, I’m waiting to help the helper. So it’s a little bit different.”

This also involves defending in space and switching onto guards more often which is an area he will need to continue to improve on as he has a smaller margin for error considering he doesn’t have overwhelming size or athleticism.

The offensive changes between the four and five are easier to see. The four needs to be able to space the floor, be comfortable attacking closeouts, and be a connector on the offensive end.

Mobley took strides as an outside shooter as he upped both volume and efficiency from the previous season. There’s still room to grow, but we saw the effects of that growth in the two games Mobley received rotation minutes against the Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets where four of his seven attempts were from beyond the arc.

The Cavs desperately need depth at power forward. For Mobley to be able to provide that next season he will need to continue to improve as a connector, outside shooter, and guarding in space. He’s shown progress in all areas since his rookie season. The question is how much more he’s able to build upon it from here.

“I know my time is coming,” Mobley said. “I just try to keep getting better and be ready for my opportunities when they come. But yeah, I want it to be now or tomorrow. But you know, that’s out of my control. I don’t let it really bother me.”