2021 NBA Draft: Evan Mobley will begin to rise up draft boards

Has Evan Mobley risen the most on draft boards after his NCAA Tournament performance? 

Just a few weeks ago, there weren’t many casual NCAA basketball or NBA fans that even knew the name Evan Mobley. However, after Mobley’s NCAA Tournament run, there’s a good chance that many of those same fans are now associated with the USC standout.

During the regular season, Mobley averaged 16 points and nine rebounds on 58 percent shooting from the field for the Trojans. He picked up those numbers slightly in the postseason (the PAC-12 and NCAA Tournament) and has now likely solidified himself as a top 3-5 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

In fact, you can make the case that he could now be the No. 1 overall pick – especially with how Cade Cunningham performed in the tournament.

Either way, whether he’s taken No. 1 overall or No. 3 overall, it really doesn’t matter. The Evan Mobley hype train is just beginning and deservedly so. After a few impressive postseason tournament performances, he was drawing (unfair) comparisons to Kevin Durant.

While they may have similar frames, that’s not a comparison that is fair for Mobley. The 7-foot USC freshman certainly has a high ceiling but I don’t think we should be rushing to place such expectations upon him.

Let’s let him get through the pre-draft process first. Even if the initial returns are encouraging.

Mobley has great length, size, and mobility for his position. He has all the tools and natural ability to be a good-to-great offensive player. He’s also a great player on the other end of the floor and will likely be an instant impact-player defensively as soon as he makes the jump to the NBA – even if his offensive game takes a bit to catch up.

With a run to the Elite 8, Mobley was given a platform on the national stage that many draft prospects would love to receive – something that most, if not all, of the 2020 NBA Draft prosepcts didn’t get the luxury of having (after the 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled).

Mobley will now be able to head into the pre-draft process with momentum of moving up many draft boards. If there are only three “big names” in this draft class, you can make an argument that Mobley has etched his names as one of the headliners.

Jalen Suggs would be the talk of the draft if Gonzaga had won the NCAA Championship and he still should be a top 3 pick, but you can’t help but think if the Zags’ failures might’ve helped Mobley and his momentum.

If you don’t know the name Evan Mobley yet, you have time to catch up on his game. He’s popularity is only going to grow larger and larger leading up to the 2021 NBA Draft.