Kevin Durant, Evan Mobley’s other role model

The future looks bright in Cleveland where JB Bickerstaff is at the head of a competitive team despite a very young workforce, reinforced this summer by the arrival of Donovan Mitchell. Among the main forces involved is Evan Mobley, whose progress during his sophomore year will be scrutinized.

The interior comes back with revenge after missing out on the Rookie of the Year trophy, awarded to Scottie Barnes. Every day, his coaches remind him of the destiny they have imagined for him: to become a Hall of Famer.

“I want to remind you every day that when you’re done with your career, you’re going to be a Hall of Famer and if you’re not, you haven’t taken care of your body, that you will not have reached your full potential”

“We remind him every day at the end of each training session”, slipped Greg Buckner, one of the assistants in Cleveland. “He has the talent to be a Hall of Famer. I tell him, ‘I want to remind you every day that when you’re done with your career, you’re going to be a Hall of Famer and if you’re not, you haven’t taken care of yourself. your body, that you have not reached your full potential. I’m obviously not going to say he’s LeBron James, but we know we’ll never snag another championship banner if Evan isn’t a top ten player in the league.”

As JB Bickerstaff says, Evan Mobley is a unique player because “He has the ability to be a superstar without being the top scorer, to be the best player on the field without having to take the most shots”.

In any case, the sophomore has considerable weight resting on his frail shoulders. Despite the importance of what is at stake, he sees himself taking a step forward at the dawn of this second season.

“All the guys talk to me about this every day, how important I am to this franchise. I know it. I understand. I always strive for perfection. I always strive to be on top. It’s always been a thing for me. I’m trying to take my game to another level this season. I come to every game trying to be the best player on the pitch. I know I can be much better”slipped the interested party.

“He wants to win. He wants to be excellent, and that’s what we look for in a player.”

In his quest for greatness, Evan Mobley, often compared to Kevin Garnett or Giannis Antetokounmpo, had the opportunity to compete against another big name, Kevin Durant. The two players were indeed able to compete this summer on a few “pick-up games” and indulge in a few training sessions. The opportunity to steal a few things from him and measure the path he still had to accomplish.

“He and I were going blow for blow. It was fun. He was attacking me, and I was attacking him. We were just working on our games. He told me he liked my game. It challenges you. Like I said, it was really fun”slipped Evan Mobley.

New assistant in the staff of JB Bickerstaff, Luke Walton has witnessed the intensity of these oppositions and the way Evan Mobley approached these sessions.

“When I was there, what was funny was that even if Kevin scored, Evan wanted to defend on him, he wanted this duel. It’s important to have that kind of mindset. Shit, in his place, I would have asked to switch to run to the opposite side of the field! But it’s the good things that matter to him. He wants to win. He wants to be excellent, and that’s what we look for in a player.”recognized Luke Walton.

First test in Toronto tomorrow night to put the dots back on the i’s against Scottie Barnes’ Raptors while waiting to find KD in the NBA. It will be the day after Christmas.