#1 Evan Mobley – Center – USC
Assuming they do not trade the 2nd overall pick in the draft, selecting Evan Mobley should be a no-brainer move for the Houston Rockets. Mobley is the best big man in the 2021 NBA Draft class and for good reason.
The 7-foot center dominated every team he played while at USC and helped lead the Trojans to their first Elite-8 appearance since 2001. Not only is his length and frame exactly what teams look for in a big man prospect, but Evan Mobley has an insanely high basketball IQ and is extremely elusive for a center.
He is fast, he is agile and he is extremely crafty with the ball in his hands, making him virtually impossible to stop offensively, especially in the low-post. He has excellent footwork and touch around the rim and he is an elite-level rebounder.
Evan Mobley is not a “big bruiser” center like Andre Drummond or Dwight Howard, but there are some similarities between Mobley’s game and that of both Julius Randle and a young LaMarcus Aldridge. It is tough to find a true, spot-on comparison for Mobley because his size, mobility and skill for a big man is something we have not really seen before in the NBA.
His 7’4” wingspan allows him to contest virtually any shot and while he is not a bulky center, he plays physical defense and is always aggressive going up for rebounds on either end of the court. There really are no weaknesses to Evan Mobley’s game, which is why he is one of the most intriguing prospects entering the NBA.
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With Christian Wood in the frontcourt for the Rockets, playing Mobley alongside him could quickly make Houston an extremely tough interior-focused team to stop. Wood has the ability to play the power-forward position and with Evan Mobley as the center, the Rockets rebuild could quickly come to an end.
Not drafting Evan Mobley is hard to do, especially since they would be giving the Cavaliers Mobley on a platter with the 3rd overall pick. If they do not want Mobley, then the Rockets definitely need to trade this pick and move down a little bit in the lottery because if Cade Cunningham was not in this draft class, Evan Mobley would be the undisputed #1 overall pick.
