Evan Mobley and the Cleveland Cavaliers faced off against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, and the rookie made an impression on the future Hall of Famer.
Mobley finished with a career-high 23 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in 36 minutes of work during the 113-101 loss. He led the Cavaliers in scoring, converting on 10-of-16 from the field and 1-of-2 from 3-point range.
Of course, James is very familiar with Mobley and what he is capable of.
Mobley faced James’ son, Bronny, in the playoffs in 2019 with the Rancho Christian School. He was named the Most Valuable Player of The Classic at Damien tournament after finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Sierra Canyon.
James recalled that performance, and Mobley’s future in the NBA.
He is going to be a damn good basketball player in this league. Obviously, it’s so crazy because he was just playing against my son a couple of years ago. It seems more weird by the day. He was playing against my son in the playoffs two years ago. Obviously, we saw what he did in the tournament, just electrifying. Cleveland has a good one. They’ve done a good job over the years in the draft, I’ll say.
“The King” has had a few moments recently that show just how long he has been in the NBA. Last week, James played against Ziaire Williams, who was teammates with Bronny at Sierra Canyon. He talked at length about how odd it was to play him but was excited for him and his potential.
Certainly, Mobley projects to have a bright future in the league. He has demonstrated that in such a short sample size this season as he has the potential to become perhaps the best player from the draft.
The future appears to be very bright in Cleveland.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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