3 reasons the Houston Rockets should select Evan Mobley in NBA Draft

The Houston Rockets avoided a catastrophe on the NBA draft lottery night when their pick fell in the top-four. While they didn’t walk away that night with the ultimate prize, the first pick, they landed the next best thing.

The number two overall pick is often the most difficult pick in the NBA draft. The best available player is gone and the next best player is almost never a certain thing. This year is no different, with Cade Cunningham being the near-unanimous number one prospect and Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs, and Jalen Green bouncing in and out of the number two spot depending on where you look.

The Rockets are in pole position to select the second-best player in the draft but figuring out who that should be, remains a tall order. Except, maybe it isn’t that difficult in 2021. Maybe the best player in the whole draft is projected to be right there for the Rockets to select.

Evan Mobley is beginning to emerge as the consensus number two overall prospect but even that might sell him short. Mobley is the prototypical modern center and as this past season has shown, with centers finishing one and two in MVP voting, big men are making a big comeback.

The Rockets fresh off the worst record in the league need a franchise-altering player that can be at the center of a championship roster. The Rockets’ greatest player and center, Hakeem Olajuwon, was sent to secure the Rockets’ first-round pick, they should do right by the dream and select the center that can carry on his legacy. These are three reasons why the Rockets should select Evan Mobley with the number two overall pick.

Next: Reason #3

Houston Rockets should select Evan Mobley in the NBA Draft reason #3: Centers are back

When the Golden State Warriors kicked off their dynasty in 2014 it appeared as if centers were an endangered species. Their death lineup, which featured Draymond Green at center, ran traditional centers off the court and caused the entire NBA to shift their thinking on one of the sport’s most historically dominant positions.

However, instead of centers dying out, they adapted and are now thriving. Joel Embiid refined his offensive game to be able to score from anywhere, Nikola Jokic became the most dominant offensive force in the league through his shooting and facilitating, and Giannis Antekounmpo has bent what it means to even be a center on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

Evan Mobley is the new breed of center that can defend in the post and on the perimeter, finish at the rim, shoot from anywhere, and facilitate in the high post. When the Warriors death lineup looked like the asteroid hurtling towards earth that spelled doom for the NBA’s dinosaur, the center, it was in fact the evolutionary push the position needed.

Evan Mobley has all the tools to be the NBA’s next great center, which gives him both a tremendously high ceiling and floor as a player. If his offensive game never becomes elite he can lean on his defense and be a defensive player of the year candidate.

If his shooting and facilitating development reaches a point where he is a number one option on offense, his physical abilities will allow him to be at worst average on defense. Mobley has the most avenues to have an elite contributor, which is why centers are back.

Being tall is still a massive advantage in basketball and Mobley’s combination of height, length, and athleticism give him a shot to be the league’s best center at his peak. The center of the NBA universe is once again the center and the Rockets shouldn’t miss their shot.

Next: Reason #2

Houston Rockets should select Evan Mobley in the NBA Draft reason #2: He allows the franchise to listen to offers on Christian Wood

There are some that believe the Rockets should steer clear of Evan Mobley because the franchise already has its center of the future in Christian Wood. There’s logic to that line of thinking, that the two of them will struggle to share the floor together, and finding a perimeter option fits this current roster better.

However, Mobley gives the Rockets the ability to listen to offers for Christian Wood. The argument to trade Christian Wood as soon as possible is very strong, as his trade value is at its highest right now.

Wood is a good player and could potentially be great but unless he becomes one of the 15 best players in the league giving him a max deal in two seasons might hinder more than help the Rockets’ chances at winning a championship. Also, if Wood blossoms and becomes one of the best centers in the league, Mobley would remain an incredible trade chip.

The idea that the Rockets don’t want two centers is ridiculous. Mobley and Wood both have diverse skillsets that should allow them to share the floor and will allow the Rockets to have a starting-caliber center on the court for a full 48 minutes.

Mobley allows the Rockets to take offers for Christian Wood without having to start from square one at the center position. If the franchise is serious about a full-on rebuild, moving Wood right now is an option that needs to be considered, drafting Mobley would make moving on from Wood a whole lot easier.

Next: Reason #1

Houston Rockets should select Evan Mobley in the NBA Draft reason #1: He’s the best player in the draft

Almost every NBA draft big board has Cade Cunningham ranked as the best player in the draft. The appeal is obvious, he’s a jumbo-sized playmaker who can score from anywhere on the court.

Well, people call him a playmaker, but is that actually true? Cunningham, in his one season at Oklahoma State, averaged only 3.5 assists per game and 4 turnovers a game. In the NCAA assist totals are much lower than the NBA, but the point remains, Cunningham’s playmaking isn’t nearly as good as advertised.

On the other hand, Evan Mobley was statistically the best player in the NCAA. Mobley led the NCAA in both win shares and Box Plus/Minus. While leading the NCAA in one of these categories doesn’t guarantee success, every single freshman to do it you might have heard of.

The last three freshmen to lead the NCAA in win shares were Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, and Kevin Love, and the only other freshmen to lead the NCAA in Box Plus/Minus since 2010-11 (the first year they began tracking the measure) are Davis and Zion Williamson. The reality is, the only statistical peer Mobley has is Anthony Davis.

NBA front offices are enamored with perimeter playmakers but as this season has shown, elite teams can run an offense through a center. Evan Mobley has a real claim to be the best prospect in the 2021 NBA draft. If the best player in the draft is there at number two, then who the Rockets should select is as easy as they come.