NBA Draft 2021: 5 best prospects for Toronto Raptors at pick No. 4
Evan Mobley
The Seven-Footer from USC is widely considered the second-best player available for this draft, and for very good reason. Rarely do you get Mobley’s combination of skill, size, and athleticism. His combination of shooting, passing, mobility, and interior defending justifies some calling him the most exciting big man talent since Anthony Davis in 2013.
Mobley’s passing and shooting ability would be a compliment to Toronto’s current core, consisting of two very lanky, but athletic wings, in Siakam and Anunoby and wouldn’t limit spacing opportunities. His defensive mobility, flexibility, and length would also make for a frightening defensive core with guys who can guard multiple positions and interrupt passing lanes.
As good as Evan Mobley is defensively, the part of his game that is so promising is his passing ability.
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) July 15, 2021
He can make high-level reads. He can make them quickly. It's why I push back a bit on the Anthony Davis comparisons.
Full scouting video: https://t.co/oGWdZlZzZu pic.twitter.com/7GgNWfS6YK
The biggest critique one can levy against the lanky center is just that, he’s almost rail thin. It’s easy to project looking at his frame that he is likely to be bullied quite a bit by the more physical forwards in the NBA until he bulks up.
It would be easy to compare Mobley with Deandre Ayton in terms of recent bias of a young center stepping in and helping a more established core with elite positional defense and above-average offense when placed in a functioning system. But a more popular historical comparison for the USC center would be another big man the Raptors are very familiar with in Chris Bosh, who ironically, is the player Toronto got the last time they had the number 4 pick.
One could make the argument that Mobley would be the most natural fit for the Raptors, being a convenient bridge for the draft philosophy of draft for need versus taking the most talented player available. Mobley would definitively be both in this instance.
The only true problem for the Raptors would be, it’s highly unlikely he will be available at four. Mobley is highly touted, and some draft experts feel the gap between Mobley and Cunningham isn’t that wide. If he does slide from number two, it’s likely the slide stops there. But if he is available to the Raptors, he would be the pick of the draft.