INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Evan Mobley has been called a "unicorn" for years, even in high school. The term is often given to big men in the NBA who have immense size but also have the technical skillset of a guard, making them a threat on both sides of the floor. After being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft, the unicorn descriptor carried over, with hopes for a high ceiling when it came to the young big.
In year four of his NBA career, Mobley's status of unicorn is being showcased on a nightly basis, and his development is reaching new heights—aided both by his teammates and coaches, as well as a new level of confidence the Cavs forward has found.
"I knew eventually it would just come through and show and this is the year that it's happening," Mobley said. "Every journey takes time and I feel like my time is now."
While still soft-spoken, Mobley truly does hold an air of confidence about him. It's a confidence he credits, in part, to head coach Kenny Atkinson. In Atkinson's first season leading the Cavs, Mobley has been taught new habits. Selfishness isn't typically a trait one would want to embrace but to create that confidence, that's exactly what Atkinson has worked to instill in Mobley.
"He's just done a great job of just breathing confidence into me. Every single time I turn down a shot or do something that I could have done personally for myself, he just breathes that confidence to be a little more selfish and take it to the opposing teams and be a lot more attack-minded," Mobley explained.
Attack-minded is a great way to define what Mobley is doing on the court this season.
Taking more shots per game than he ever has before and pushing towards a career-high shooting percentage, Mobley has shined offensively. Even more impressive is Mobley's emergence as a floor-spacer, shooting and making a career-high amount of threes each game.
When the ball is in his hands, he knows what to do.
"Just trying to score first, that's the main thing. Take what the defense gives me, score first and pass second," is what Mobley said goes through his mind when he has possession of the ball. "I feel like it's been really helping me and helping me be more aggressive and just helping the team as well with my aggressiveness going up. It just makes everyone have to really respect it."
So far this season, Mobley is averaging 19 points a game, shooting over 57% from the field and over 42% from three. And even with a newfound focus on offense, Mobley's defensive prowess hasn't taken a hit, averaging nine rebounds and 1.4 blocks a game.
The Cavs have always believed Mobley's ceiling to be high. From front office to teammates, there's a strong belief that the forward is the key to the Cavs taking the next step and becoming a championship-level team. As this season goes on, Mobley's ceiling rises. He's noticing that.
"This is just the start of it, honestly. Every game I get more and more confident. Every season, every year just more and more confidence built because you have more experience in the league so as my experience goes up I feel like my confidence and my game will go up as well," Mobley said.
Atkinson shares the belief that there's even more to be seen.
"He's only touching what we all know. We keep saying this, he's only touching the surface but more things to come from him," the Cavs head coach said.
For a true unicorn, the sky is the limit—but so is the pressure that comes with it.
That pressure isn't something that rattles Mobley. He appreciates the term unicorn. He considers himself one, in fact.
"I like it. I've been called that since high school," Mobley said. "I feel like a unicorn is a different saying of unique, a little different. I feel like I'm different because I play both sides of the ball, defense and offense, and I feel like I'm elite on both sides, especially this year. I feel like from the start I was always elite on the defensive end and this year starting to be elite on the offensive end as well and that just makes me unique in a lot of different aspects."
While Mobley appreciates his unicorn moniker, there's another one he's shooting for this season as well.
All-Star.
Does he believe he should be one in 2025? "For sure," he said.
"Definitely this year. We got a lot of different All-Stars on the team as well. Me, JA [Jarrett Allen], Don [Donovan Mitchell] and DG [Darius Garland]. We've all been doing a great job of doing our part on the team and on the court, and I feel like me, personally, I definitely stepped up in my role of being that new star on the team as well."
In the second wave of fan returns for 2025 NBA All-Star voting, Mobley moved up to No. 8 in frontcourt votes. His game has been recognized in the polling so far. He hopes to move up even more.
And while he has those high hopes for himself, he shares them with his teammates. He wants to see the entire Cavs' "core four" receive the honors.
"It's the core four. I feel like without any one of us it could be a completely different team. JA provides a different type of defensive anchor on our team and offensively as well. His offensive rebounding, his putbacks and him just being a dunker behind us is just at an elite level. And then Don—Don just speaks for himself. He's already been an All-Star multiple times. DG's already been an All-Star as well, and he's playing on a different level this year as well. And me as well," Mobley said. "Also, we're having a historic season so far and so I feel like all those factors just speak to how all of us should definitely be deserving of All-Star this year."
Fan All-Star voting ends Jan. 20. You can vote for Mobley and the rest of the core four by clicking here.
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