Evan Mobley enjoyed All-Star Weekend, but the second-year Cavaliers forward wants more.
Mobley competed in the Jordan Rising Stars showcase Friday for the second consecutive season and watched Sunday as his brother Isaiah played in the G League Next Up Game and Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell started in the All-Star Game in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Mobley , 21, seeks a place alongside Mitchell in the main event.
"Being an All Star, being a top guy in the league, I've always envisioned that," Mobley told the Beacon Journal on Saturday during a promotional event with Panini America . "I definitely have high hopes. I'm just going to keep striving to get better and better so I can be that."
Mobley said he had a great experience working with Panini, the exclusive trading card partner of the NBA. He also enjoyed spending quality time with Mitchell and soaking up memorable moments with his older brother. Mobley explained the Cavs drafting Isaiah, 23, in the second round last year has given him "a sense of home" in Cleveland.
None of it satisfies Mobley , though.
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The Cavs' most recent game ( a 118-112 road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers ) and their next one (Thursday at home against the Denver Nuggets ) are particularly significant to Mobley because Philly's Joel Embiid and Denver's Nikola Jokic are All-Star big men he thoroughly studies.
"They're some of the best bigs in the league," Mobley said, "so I definitely try to take some bits and pieces from their game."
The third overall draft pick in 2021, Mobley is averaging 15.7 points on 55.1% shooting, 8.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 blocks this season.
"The bar was set so high for Evan because of the year that he had as a rookie ... that I think people underestimate or don't appreciate all the things he's accomplished this year," Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
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Mobley considers being more confident and aggressive his greatest improvements. Everything came together Jan. 21, when he scored a career-high 38 points .
Yet there's more to Mobley.
"Evan could one night have zero points and be the most impactful player on the floor for us," Bickerstaff said. "That's the type of player that he is. He's such an unselfish, team-first winner that he's going to make the right basketball play every single time."
Still, Mobley is ambitious.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.
On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs' Evan Mobley has 'always envisioned' being NBA All Star
