Sam Vecenie from the Athletic released his draft guide this week. I am not sure if the Mavs are aggressive looking to attain a pick. Nor am I sure if they look for a big man if they do. In addition, not sure if they look for a youngster who is years away or more mature player. There actions last summer seem to think they value the more mature players. Here are three big guys who stuck out to me.
Isaiah Mobley (#43--higher than most sites)
STRENGTHS Older brother of Cleveland Cavalier Evan Mobley, Isaiah is a post-hype big man who has emerged over the last year and a half as a legitimate NBA prospect. He was a McDonald’s All-American in 2019, but it took him a minute to establish himself in college. In 2020-21, he was terrific in the back half of the season with his brother. This past season, he emerged as a terrific all-around player and USC’s centerpiece. Earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors and led USC to the NCAA Tournament. Good size for the NBA four position, but I also think he could slide to the five at times with his 7-foot-3 wingspan and 9-foot standing reach. Moves his feet better than he gets credit for and has a terrific feel for the game. A big whose game really makes sense for the NBA. I like Mobley most on defense, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given his brother, but that hasn’t always been Isaiah’s rep. He switches well across the wing and big positions while also being an extremely effective post defender with his relative lower-body strength. Uses his intersection of fluid feet and quickness well across the frontcourt on this end. I wouldn’t say he’s a switchable guy onto ones and twos, but I think he does a good job of holding up where he can and using angles to marginally affect them at times. At the rim, he’s not really a shot blocker, but he’s very effective as a rim protector in similar ways to Al Horford. Knows how to use his strength and chest to get into a player’s body without fouling. His wingspan gives him the ability to contest, despite the wingspan not being overly enormous. Offensively, you can see how Mobley came up as more of a point forward when he was a McDonald’s All-American. Had some terrific grab-and-go moments where he essentially was a lead option for USC. Throws some awesome passes to teammates. Can throw them on the move and throw anticipatory reads that get his players open. Hits cross-corner skips out of both short rolls and post-ups already. I love him out of short rolls, a readily applicable skill to how NBA teams would use him. He can dribble a few times to bring the defender toward him to open angles. He also can process quickly and throw nice touch passes. Loves the overhead pass to his man in the dunker spot. Dished out 3.3 assists per game while posting a near 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as USC’s primary option. Good in grab-and-go situations if a smaller defender or if no one picks him up as a scorer. Can drive and finish quickly. Mobley also is a good finisher with touch around the basket. Made 61.7 percent of his shots at the basket. I buy Mobley as a shooter. He has a funky follow-through, but everything else is pretty good. His shot prep is terrific. Gets into his rhythm off the hop and almost always is ready to fire upon the catch. Really elevates into it. Extremely clean, high release with a high finish on the shot. Legit pick-and-pop and real spot-up threat. Makes them off quick movement when popping to the perimeter. You can tell he has extreme confidence shooting from 3.
WEAKNESSES Not a superb athlete. Could struggle with the adjustment up to playing acctual, NBA-level length. Not an explosive leaper, which could hinder him as a rim protector. Doesn’t have a ton of burst laterally or in terms of first step. YEAR TEAM LEAGUE AGE GP PPG RPG APG TOPG BPG SPG FG% 3P% FT% 2019-20 USC NCAA (Pac-12 20 31 6.2 5.3 1.0 1.5 0.6 0.6 47.4 28.6 52.1 2020-21 USC NCAA (Pac-12 21 32 9.9 7.3 1.6 1.2 0.9 0.4 47.2 43.6 54.5 2021-22 USC NCAA (Pac-12 22 32 14.2 8.3 3.3 1.9 0.9 0.8 44.5 35.2 68.2 2022 NBA DRAFT GUIDE 84 That lack of athleticism will really slow him down as a creator. Has difficulty separating from his man. Going to make it really tough for him to drive and collapse defenders. Good at doing it when he’s in short rolls, because he already has the four-on-three advantage when teams put two players on the ball but won’t be able to create that advantage for himself. Ends up settling for a bunch of tougher push shots and mini-hooks because he can’t get around anyone and get a clean runway toward the rim. Even when he does, opposing defenders won’t have much of an issue recovering against him. Shot creation won’t be his game in the NBA, but I’m not sure he needs it to be successful. Defensively, will that lack of athleticism hurt him in space? Has a chance to get cooked by guards because of his lateral quickness. Takes good angles on the ball to be able to minimize it, but those angles are even tougher to manage in the NBA when the court is a bit more spread. Additionally, I do think he left a few too many opportunities as a help-side rim protector wanting. Doesn’t always rotate, possibly out of a desire to stay out of foul trouble due to USC needing him, but he also seems to react late occasionally from time to time. Can he be good enough? He could end up, physically, between being a drop-coverage big and a switch big; he’s not quick enough to slide with guards and not good enough as a rim protector to play in drops.
SUMMARY
I would imagine Mobley is one of the players I most diverge from consensus. I buy him as an interesting, potential-guarantee guy because of the way his game could translate to what the NBA looks for from modern bigs. He’s a killer passer out of short rolls, and he can shoot, which already gives him an enormous leg up on a lot of bigs in today’s NBA. He has good defensive awareness for the most part and can slide his feet at a really high level, in addition to his 7-foot-3 wingspan. He might not have the athletic tools to play in the NBA, but I’d be willing to pay with a second-round pick to find out if he got into the 45 to 55 range. I’m something of a believer in Mobley
Jaylin Williams # 47
STRENGTHS One of the youngest players in the 2020 recruiting class, Williams is a four-star guy from Arkansas who stayed home to play for the Razorbacks. Had a good freshman season, particularly late. But really emerged as a teenage sophomore. Made the SEC’s All-Defense team and earned first-team All-SEC honors. He also made an NCAA Tournament All-Region team for playing well during Arkansas’ Elite Eight run. Came in with decent size for the center position at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan and a 9-foot-0 1/2 standing reach. Has terrific functional strength, and great lower body strength. Holds his position with ease, and his strength helps him particularly as a rebounder. Arguably his best skill. Ends possessions extremely well. Reads the ball off the glass and boxes out well. I think Williams has a case for the highest IQ player in the class. Shows up best on defense. He’s good with how he sees the game and anticipates actions. You see it first and foremost in the way he takes charges. Constantly in the right position on defense, and he makes his presence known. Led the country in charges taken this year. While that won’t necessarily translate toward getting a ton of charges and living off them in the NBA, it goes to show how often he’s simply in the way. Constantly available in help defense. Rotates extremely well from the weak side. Has great mechanics for using his verticality without fouling.
Williams also is outstanding in drop coverage. Mobile while being strong and big. Clearly thinking the game at a higher level better than most. Will legitimately feint toward the ballhandler in drop, then fall back as the guard thinks the pass is available and gets the steal. Gets a ton of steals for a big by being active. Has very fluid hips that allow him to drop and cut off angles. Not quick, but he has a case to eventually become a switch defender in the way that Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was, using his activity and intelligence, as well as his willingness to be in the way. Won’t be a difference-maker at it but could give scheme versatility in moments to confuse offenses. Arkansas was about nine points better per 100 possessions when he was on the court defensively. When Williams was on the court, teams generated about 43 percent of their shots at the rim. When he was off, they took about 50 percent of their shots there. He was a legitimate All-Defense guy in the SEC this year. Offensively, he has incredible dexterity and skill. Can handle the ball at a high level for a big. Very comfortable driving in a straight line. True centers are mismatches for him. He’s also an outstanding passer for a big. Probably the best short-roll passer in the class out of ball screens. Processes the game quickly and makes the right play almost immediately upon the catch. Diagnoses things early. Can make quick touch passes from the high post to the basket for assists. Reads the help for cross-corner kickouts. Williams also is comfortable enough to dribble a few times to force defenders to come to him, then make his read. Arkansas’ wings always cut toward the rim when he caught the ball because they knew he’d feed them if they were available. He crushed four-on-three situations when defenders blitzed the ballhandler.
WEAKNESSES Two significant ones: First, athleticism. He’s not an awesome athlete by any stretch. Very little explosiveness. Doesn’t have much in the way of vertical pop. Had only 14 dunks in 37 games, an extremely low number for a center. Also shows up in his film as a rim protector, but sometimes, bigger guys finish over the top of him. He’ll be an undersized center at the NBA level. Will his ability to get in the way end up being enough to make it work? Or will more athletic, bigger guys be able to beat him? Additionally, doesn’t have awesome foot speed or quickness. It’s seen mostly when he has to close out to shooters and scramble as opposed to when he’s able to sit down one-on-one. Hard for him to stop his momentum and change directions. Could limit his defensive versatility. Second, how does Williams score the ball right now? Struggles to finish at the basket because of that lack of vertical pop. Made 58 percent of his shots at the rim, a below-average mark for an NBA center prospect. Has the ability to attack the basket against centers because of his ability to handle the ball, but can he take advantage of it if bigs use their length to recover and contest his shot? Everything looks tough for him at the rim: a lot of pump-fakes, in-air adjustments and craftiness. Has good footwork to get to his floater game. Will need it to be effective, but he’s not there yet. Tries to be a shooter but isn’t all that effective yet. Looks so confident taking them that you want to buy into it, but it was poor at Arkansas. Made 24 percent from 3 last season. Has a real two-motion jumper that he brings back toward his face before firing. Looks very stiff. Has some misses that make you question his touch. Doesn’t seem to get much rhythm or lower-body interaction into the shot. Mostly has a one-two step into it. Looks like he’s flinging it toward the rim with his arms and wrists. Will need the jumper to be effective at the next level. Williams has some hilarious flops. Gets hit lightly at times and will drop to the floor and have his legs fly in the air like he’s entirely lost control of his body. Legs almost always end up higher than his chest. Slides backward expertly. Can be somewhat infuriating to watch while you begrudgingly respect it.
SUMMARY Williams is the kind of guy I truly want to buy into. He’s one of the smartest players in the class, and he has real roles that you can see working for him. He can be a release-valve short-roll guy who makes plays as a passer, he’ll end possessions as a rebounder, and he’ll consistently be a tough defender who’s in the right spots for a defense. Honestly, he’s smart enough that I couldn’t get him outside of my top 40 or so. If it works, he’s going to stick in the NBA for a decade. It’s also worth noting that Williams was productive across the board for a young big, making his presence felt across a variety of different parts of the game. 2022 NBA DRAFT GUIDE 94 I can’t quite get past the mix of lack of athleticism and lack of shooting. If I bought Williams’ touch and thought he was going to be a shooter, I’d have a first-round grade on him. But I can’t quite get there. He has too many ugly misses. It seems likely that it’s going to be hard for him to be taken seriously as a scorer at the next level. I’m going to feel silly if Williams figures out how to shoot and adds a bit of lateral quickness to make him a switch guy, because if that happens, he’s potentially a valuable center in today’s game. And at the end of the day, I think I’m probably going to be a bit higher on him than the consensus. But I like the idea of him more than I like what he’s shown on tape so far.
Isaiah Mobley (#43--higher than most sites)
STRENGTHS Older brother of Cleveland Cavalier Evan Mobley, Isaiah is a post-hype big man who has emerged over the last year and a half as a legitimate NBA prospect. He was a McDonald’s All-American in 2019, but it took him a minute to establish himself in college. In 2020-21, he was terrific in the back half of the season with his brother. This past season, he emerged as a terrific all-around player and USC’s centerpiece. Earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors and led USC to the NCAA Tournament. Good size for the NBA four position, but I also think he could slide to the five at times with his 7-foot-3 wingspan and 9-foot standing reach. Moves his feet better than he gets credit for and has a terrific feel for the game. A big whose game really makes sense for the NBA. I like Mobley most on defense, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given his brother, but that hasn’t always been Isaiah’s rep. He switches well across the wing and big positions while also being an extremely effective post defender with his relative lower-body strength. Uses his intersection of fluid feet and quickness well across the frontcourt on this end. I wouldn’t say he’s a switchable guy onto ones and twos, but I think he does a good job of holding up where he can and using angles to marginally affect them at times. At the rim, he’s not really a shot blocker, but he’s very effective as a rim protector in similar ways to Al Horford. Knows how to use his strength and chest to get into a player’s body without fouling. His wingspan gives him the ability to contest, despite the wingspan not being overly enormous. Offensively, you can see how Mobley came up as more of a point forward when he was a McDonald’s All-American. Had some terrific grab-and-go moments where he essentially was a lead option for USC. Throws some awesome passes to teammates. Can throw them on the move and throw anticipatory reads that get his players open. Hits cross-corner skips out of both short rolls and post-ups already. I love him out of short rolls, a readily applicable skill to how NBA teams would use him. He can dribble a few times to bring the defender toward him to open angles. He also can process quickly and throw nice touch passes. Loves the overhead pass to his man in the dunker spot. Dished out 3.3 assists per game while posting a near 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as USC’s primary option. Good in grab-and-go situations if a smaller defender or if no one picks him up as a scorer. Can drive and finish quickly. Mobley also is a good finisher with touch around the basket. Made 61.7 percent of his shots at the basket. I buy Mobley as a shooter. He has a funky follow-through, but everything else is pretty good. His shot prep is terrific. Gets into his rhythm off the hop and almost always is ready to fire upon the catch. Really elevates into it. Extremely clean, high release with a high finish on the shot. Legit pick-and-pop and real spot-up threat. Makes them off quick movement when popping to the perimeter. You can tell he has extreme confidence shooting from 3.
WEAKNESSES Not a superb athlete. Could struggle with the adjustment up to playing acctual, NBA-level length. Not an explosive leaper, which could hinder him as a rim protector. Doesn’t have a ton of burst laterally or in terms of first step. YEAR TEAM LEAGUE AGE GP PPG RPG APG TOPG BPG SPG FG% 3P% FT% 2019-20 USC NCAA (Pac-12 20 31 6.2 5.3 1.0 1.5 0.6 0.6 47.4 28.6 52.1 2020-21 USC NCAA (Pac-12 21 32 9.9 7.3 1.6 1.2 0.9 0.4 47.2 43.6 54.5 2021-22 USC NCAA (Pac-12 22 32 14.2 8.3 3.3 1.9 0.9 0.8 44.5 35.2 68.2 2022 NBA DRAFT GUIDE 84 That lack of athleticism will really slow him down as a creator. Has difficulty separating from his man. Going to make it really tough for him to drive and collapse defenders. Good at doing it when he’s in short rolls, because he already has the four-on-three advantage when teams put two players on the ball but won’t be able to create that advantage for himself. Ends up settling for a bunch of tougher push shots and mini-hooks because he can’t get around anyone and get a clean runway toward the rim. Even when he does, opposing defenders won’t have much of an issue recovering against him. Shot creation won’t be his game in the NBA, but I’m not sure he needs it to be successful. Defensively, will that lack of athleticism hurt him in space? Has a chance to get cooked by guards because of his lateral quickness. Takes good angles on the ball to be able to minimize it, but those angles are even tougher to manage in the NBA when the court is a bit more spread. Additionally, I do think he left a few too many opportunities as a help-side rim protector wanting. Doesn’t always rotate, possibly out of a desire to stay out of foul trouble due to USC needing him, but he also seems to react late occasionally from time to time. Can he be good enough? He could end up, physically, between being a drop-coverage big and a switch big; he’s not quick enough to slide with guards and not good enough as a rim protector to play in drops.
SUMMARY
I would imagine Mobley is one of the players I most diverge from consensus. I buy him as an interesting, potential-guarantee guy because of the way his game could translate to what the NBA looks for from modern bigs. He’s a killer passer out of short rolls, and he can shoot, which already gives him an enormous leg up on a lot of bigs in today’s NBA. He has good defensive awareness for the most part and can slide his feet at a really high level, in addition to his 7-foot-3 wingspan. He might not have the athletic tools to play in the NBA, but I’d be willing to pay with a second-round pick to find out if he got into the 45 to 55 range. I’m something of a believer in Mobley
Jaylin Williams # 47
STRENGTHS One of the youngest players in the 2020 recruiting class, Williams is a four-star guy from Arkansas who stayed home to play for the Razorbacks. Had a good freshman season, particularly late. But really emerged as a teenage sophomore. Made the SEC’s All-Defense team and earned first-team All-SEC honors. He also made an NCAA Tournament All-Region team for playing well during Arkansas’ Elite Eight run. Came in with decent size for the center position at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan and a 9-foot-0 1/2 standing reach. Has terrific functional strength, and great lower body strength. Holds his position with ease, and his strength helps him particularly as a rebounder. Arguably his best skill. Ends possessions extremely well. Reads the ball off the glass and boxes out well. I think Williams has a case for the highest IQ player in the class. Shows up best on defense. He’s good with how he sees the game and anticipates actions. You see it first and foremost in the way he takes charges. Constantly in the right position on defense, and he makes his presence known. Led the country in charges taken this year. While that won’t necessarily translate toward getting a ton of charges and living off them in the NBA, it goes to show how often he’s simply in the way. Constantly available in help defense. Rotates extremely well from the weak side. Has great mechanics for using his verticality without fouling.
Williams also is outstanding in drop coverage. Mobile while being strong and big. Clearly thinking the game at a higher level better than most. Will legitimately feint toward the ballhandler in drop, then fall back as the guard thinks the pass is available and gets the steal. Gets a ton of steals for a big by being active. Has very fluid hips that allow him to drop and cut off angles. Not quick, but he has a case to eventually become a switch defender in the way that Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was, using his activity and intelligence, as well as his willingness to be in the way. Won’t be a difference-maker at it but could give scheme versatility in moments to confuse offenses. Arkansas was about nine points better per 100 possessions when he was on the court defensively. When Williams was on the court, teams generated about 43 percent of their shots at the rim. When he was off, they took about 50 percent of their shots there. He was a legitimate All-Defense guy in the SEC this year. Offensively, he has incredible dexterity and skill. Can handle the ball at a high level for a big. Very comfortable driving in a straight line. True centers are mismatches for him. He’s also an outstanding passer for a big. Probably the best short-roll passer in the class out of ball screens. Processes the game quickly and makes the right play almost immediately upon the catch. Diagnoses things early. Can make quick touch passes from the high post to the basket for assists. Reads the help for cross-corner kickouts. Williams also is comfortable enough to dribble a few times to force defenders to come to him, then make his read. Arkansas’ wings always cut toward the rim when he caught the ball because they knew he’d feed them if they were available. He crushed four-on-three situations when defenders blitzed the ballhandler.
WEAKNESSES Two significant ones: First, athleticism. He’s not an awesome athlete by any stretch. Very little explosiveness. Doesn’t have much in the way of vertical pop. Had only 14 dunks in 37 games, an extremely low number for a center. Also shows up in his film as a rim protector, but sometimes, bigger guys finish over the top of him. He’ll be an undersized center at the NBA level. Will his ability to get in the way end up being enough to make it work? Or will more athletic, bigger guys be able to beat him? Additionally, doesn’t have awesome foot speed or quickness. It’s seen mostly when he has to close out to shooters and scramble as opposed to when he’s able to sit down one-on-one. Hard for him to stop his momentum and change directions. Could limit his defensive versatility. Second, how does Williams score the ball right now? Struggles to finish at the basket because of that lack of vertical pop. Made 58 percent of his shots at the rim, a below-average mark for an NBA center prospect. Has the ability to attack the basket against centers because of his ability to handle the ball, but can he take advantage of it if bigs use their length to recover and contest his shot? Everything looks tough for him at the rim: a lot of pump-fakes, in-air adjustments and craftiness. Has good footwork to get to his floater game. Will need it to be effective, but he’s not there yet. Tries to be a shooter but isn’t all that effective yet. Looks so confident taking them that you want to buy into it, but it was poor at Arkansas. Made 24 percent from 3 last season. Has a real two-motion jumper that he brings back toward his face before firing. Looks very stiff. Has some misses that make you question his touch. Doesn’t seem to get much rhythm or lower-body interaction into the shot. Mostly has a one-two step into it. Looks like he’s flinging it toward the rim with his arms and wrists. Will need the jumper to be effective at the next level. Williams has some hilarious flops. Gets hit lightly at times and will drop to the floor and have his legs fly in the air like he’s entirely lost control of his body. Legs almost always end up higher than his chest. Slides backward expertly. Can be somewhat infuriating to watch while you begrudgingly respect it.
SUMMARY Williams is the kind of guy I truly want to buy into. He’s one of the smartest players in the class, and he has real roles that you can see working for him. He can be a release-valve short-roll guy who makes plays as a passer, he’ll end possessions as a rebounder, and he’ll consistently be a tough defender who’s in the right spots for a defense. Honestly, he’s smart enough that I couldn’t get him outside of my top 40 or so. If it works, he’s going to stick in the NBA for a decade. It’s also worth noting that Williams was productive across the board for a young big, making his presence felt across a variety of different parts of the game. 2022 NBA DRAFT GUIDE 94 I can’t quite get past the mix of lack of athleticism and lack of shooting. If I bought Williams’ touch and thought he was going to be a shooter, I’d have a first-round grade on him. But I can’t quite get there. He has too many ugly misses. It seems likely that it’s going to be hard for him to be taken seriously as a scorer at the next level. I’m going to feel silly if Williams figures out how to shoot and adds a bit of lateral quickness to make him a switch guy, because if that happens, he’s potentially a valuable center in today’s game. And at the end of the day, I think I’m probably going to be a bit higher on him than the consensus. But I like the idea of him more than I like what he’s shown on tape so far.