Evan Mobley, USC Trojans. Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a roster filled with talented young players, middling veterans and Larry Nance Jr. Heading into the 2021 NBA Draft they needed to find a foundational player who give them an identity, and they have done just that in drafting USC big man Evan Mobley.
The top of the draft went exactly as expected, with the Detroit Pistons taking Oklahoma State forward Cade Cunningham and the Houston Rockets selecting G League Ignite guard Jalen Green. While the Cavaliers surely considered players such as Jalen Suggs, Scottie Barnes and Jonathan Kuminga they have been expected for weeks to take Evan Mobley, and that is exactly what they did.