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'Letting it fly': The Cavaliers are intent on Evan Mobley shooting more 3-pointers
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- 'Letting it fly': The Cavaliers are intent on Evan Mobley shooting more 3-pointers
CLEVELAND — Evan Mobley remains sidelined with an ankle injury, but the Cavaliers don't foresee it as anything that will cause a long-term absence. Once he does return, they have one message for him.
Let it fly.
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A major element to Mobley's ongoing development — the Cavs maintain their belief that he can evolve into a star, and his offensive potential has kept Kenny Atkinson up at night dreaming of the possibilities — is his 3-point shooting, and what it could unlock in the Cavs offense if it became a larger threat.
New coach Kenny Atkinson always likes running the Cavs offense through Mobley at times, as the coaching staff has plenty of trust that his decision-making and skill-set are assets. Jarrett Allen also has noted he feels the Cavs offense, which has been atop or near the top of the league all season, is at its best when Mobley is heavily involved.
Teams already have to send heavy resources to the perimeter to try to slow down Donovan Mitchell , Darius Garland and Co. Mobley and Allen are factors inside the paint when teams try to clamp down the 3-point line.
But Mobley has the potential to score from just about anywhere. If he becomes a bigger threat from the 3-point line himself, giving teams another element to worry about? The Cavs' league-best offense could hit another gear, they believe.
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They don't necessarily want him chucking up 3s every time down the floor. There won't be that many opportunities. But if the shot is there, they want him to be more aggressive.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley shoots a 3-pointer against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C.
Cavs believe Evan Mobley can thrive in Kenny Atkinson's offense
"That's the evolution," Mitchell said. "I told him this summer, it's all he's working on — getting your feet down so it's not having to kind of hop into it. That's his growth. And I keep [saying], he hasn't even scratched the surface yet."
In 24 games before going down with the ankle injury, Mobley was averaging 18.3 points , the highest mark in his career. After shooting 1.2-1.3 3s per game in his first three seasons in the NBA, he's been attempting 2.3 3s per game in 2024-25. But the Cavs would like him to roughly double that number.
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It's a somewhat small change, that the Cavs want Mobley to take two to three more 3s each night. But it could be enough that teams have to further account for it, which could open up other spots on the floor.
"Coaches and teammates, they've been really on me," Mobley said. "Every time I turn down the shot, they tell me to shoot it again and again. So having coaches and teammates like that just help your confidence, and I'm gonna keep letting 'em fly."
After a 126-114 win over the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 5 , when Mobley scored 20 points and shot 3 of 5 behind the 3-point line, Atkinson pulled him aside in the locker room after the game. Four of Mobley's five attempts Atkinson would have categorized as good shot attempts; one might have been a bit ill-advised. But that was the shot attempt of Mobley's that Atkinson liked the most because it showed a no-second-thoughts aggression the Cavs want to unlock.
"I told him in the locker room, I said, I like the bad one you took," Atkinson said. "I'm joking, but he's got to get over that hump, and he's starting to get over the hump where we need his gravity. Because when the playoffs come … when you got these guys that are elite rim protectors and they just stay back in the paint, you gotta keep 'em honest."
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They want Mobley firing from the hip more. And if the cost of achieving that goal is one poor shot attempt per night, that's fine with them.
It's especially something Atkinson is targeting for a possible playoff run.
"You have to take a bad one or two if your'e going to have that mentality," Atkinson said. "I think that's a big key for us and making that next playoff step, him being able to spread the floor a bit."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavaliers telling Evan Mobley to shoot more 3-pointers
