Kenny Atkinson says Cavs need Evan Mobley to be more ‘irrational’: ‘I think that’s his next step’…
Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley recently said he thinks he could be the best player in the NBA in five years.
While the comment from the soft-spoken big man got the attention of some folks and maybe came as a bit of a surprise, it was probably music to the ears of Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson.
“I’ve said this to Evan, ‘Your next step is believing that,’” Atkinson said of Mobley’s comment. “‘Do you believe? You have all the tools, you’re making progress with your consistency.’”
Atkinson wants Mobley to go all the way over the top with his confidence and take it to the extreme. He explained that Cavs stars Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland “have this almost irrational confidence,” and he wants Mobley to be a “little more irrational” himself.
“There is a belief with these guys, they get to a certain point — Donovan’s got it, Darius I think has it — they have this almost irrational confidence,” Atkinson said. “And Evan’s not a not-confident person, but we need to get him to be little more irrational, a little more, ‘Man, I am going to be this guy.’ I think that’s his next step, because all the tools are there — physical, technical, shooting, the whole thing.”
Mobley mentioned himself and San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama — or “one of those guys” — as candidates to be the best player in the league five years from now.
While Wembanyama is already considered a phenom, Mobley himself is evolving into an elite force on both ends of the floor. He’s been a special defender since the moment he entered the NBA, but this season, he has taken his offensive game to new heights.
