Evan Mobley intends to get physically stronger… in his home gym

Eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in just five games by the Knicks, the Cavaliers are one of the disappointments of this start to the playoffs, especially since they had home advantage, after having had a very encouraging regular season.

“We just had a few mental lapses and we didn’t perform as well physically as we should have” said Evan Mobley. “We talked about it, but we failed to do the right thing”.

Throughout the series, the Knicks have thus physically dominated the Cavaliers. During Game 5 on the floor of Cleveland, New York took 48 rebounds against 30 for the men of JB Bickerstaff. Of the 48, 17 were offensive rebounds. Mitchell Robinson took more rebounds (18) than Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen combined (13).

A home gym

Whether Evan Mobley is already an excellent defender, he is still a little too frail. We were able to see him face profiles like Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle. Still, he tried to improve in this area during the season, but the balance is difficult to find. This summer, however, he believes real progress can be made. This is his priority before the pre-season training camp.

“I feel like I tried to change that too during the season” explained Evan Mobley on his physique. “It’s difficult to do it during the season. You may see changes, but you probably won’t see significant changes. So it’s during the summer that you really focus on whatever you want to do.”.

There are words but also actions. And Koby Altman, president of basketball operations for the Cavaliers, revealed that Evan Mobley has invested in a home gym to strengthen himself in the offseason.

“Development has continued and I think that’s what he wants. He feels the urgency said Koby Altman. “He’s already invested in a home gym in the off-season, which is remarkable for a boy his age who is like, ‘OK, I need to get stronger, I need to get better.’ So there’s real potential with him, and that’s the balance between developing a young team and competing. We try to do both”.

No need for external motivation

The interior of Cleveland is therefore ready to make all the necessary efforts to take a step forward, and it already seems to be concentrating on next season. Evan Mobley still had a very good second season in the NBA, increasing his averages in points, rebounds and assists.

The 3rd choice of the 2021 Draft thus concluded the regular season with averages of 16.2 points, 9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He was also a finalist for the defender of the year trophy, which is very impressive for a player in only his second campaign in the Big League.

From now on, the objective is to strengthen physically, and why not hope for a transformation like Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was no stronger than him at the same age.

“When you have conversations with Evan, and the first thing he talks about isn’t basketball-related, but physical, it becomes a really good conversation to have.” concluded Koby Altman. “It’s not Evan Mobley saying, ‘I need this, this. It’s Evan saying he wants to improve by going to the weight room. It’s a very healthy conversation, which we’re going to support in a broader perspective.”.

How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.