The current USC men’s basketball team might not be doing anything special, but Trojans are continuing to take the NBA by storm. The latest impressive performance came from former USC standout and current Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley. In a recent 116-102 win over the Charlotte Hornets, Mobley scored a career-high 41 points. He also added 10 rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and a steal. Cleveland has gotten off to an excellent start this season, raising hopes in Ohio that the franchise can return to the NBA Finals. It won’t be easy, but the Cavs might have a puncher’s chance. They won’t be favored in a series against the Boston Celtics, but maybe they can at least win a few rounds in the playoffs before meeting the defending champions.
If Mobley keeps playing the way he did against Charlotte, the Cavs will have a higher ceiling. The 41-point game versus the Hornets was exactly the type of performance Cleveland envisioned when it drafted Mobley with the third overall pick out of USC in 2021. Mobley has quietly been one of the league’s better big men over the past 3+ seasons, averaging 15 or more points and eight or more rebounds in each year of his NBA career to date.
One of the highest-rated recruits to ever sign with the Trojans, Mobley lived up to the tremendous expectations in his lone season on campus. In 2020-2021, he averaged 16.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, helping lead USC to its only Elite Eight appearance of the past two decades.
Unfortunately, Mobley’s lone season of college basketball came during the COVID year, so USC fans were never able to watch him play at Galen Center in person. However, they can surely take satisfaction in watching him tear it up for a Cavaliers team that currently holds the best record in the NBA.