Giannis says Evan Mobley can be better than him / News - Basketnews.com

Giannis Antetokounmpo admires Evan Mobley: "He can be better than me. It's just a matter of time until he has a breakout season and becomes one of the best power forwards in the league."

Credit: USA Today Sports, ZUMAPRESS.com - Scanpix Credit USA Today Sports, ZUMAPRESS.com - Scanpix

Evan Mobley, 3rd overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft and All-Rookie First Team selection, is striving to become the kind of player Giannis Antetokounmpo is.

Evan Mobley

Team:Cleveland CavaliersPosition:C, PFAge:21Height:213 cmWeight:98 kgBirth place:San Diego, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

The comparisons between the two have followed Mobley since his college days at the University of Southern California.

"He can be better than me," Antetokounmpo told cleveland.com after Milwaukee's 117-102 win over Cleveland Friday night. "I don't see why he can't. It's up to him. I will always try to improve. Every day. But he has the skill set to be a very, very good player. He's 7-feet tall. He can move really well. He can shoot. He is very smart. As you said, he watches tapes of other players, which is very, very good for a young player. If he takes this seriously, he is going to be great."

"I didn't average what he is in my second season, so he's already ahead of me," Greek Freak added. "It's in his hands. If he stays humble, continues to work hard, focuses on the game, and shows love for the game of basketball, he is going to be really good.

"It's just a matter of time until he has a breakout season and becomes one of the best power forwards in the league."

Mobley, 21, is averaging 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in his second season with the Cavs. For comparison, Giannis posted 12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists at 20 years old, in his second NBA campaign.

"Evan can be whatever he wants to be," his teammate Darius Garland told cleveland.com. "I think Evan has a super-high ceiling. I think he can be even better than Giannis. I mean, it's whatever Evan puts his mind to. He always lets the game come to him. He can impact it in so many different ways."

So, if Mobley could replicate something from Antetokounmpo's game what would it be?

"His consistent aggressiveness. He is always attacking," Mobley said. "It creates openings for other people as well as himself. He has a super high motor and he uses his athleticism when needed. I feel like I can do the same and have a similar impact. I feel like we have pretty similar frames as well, so I can definitely take stuff from that on attacking angles and how active he stays on the offensive end.

"Giannis is a great player and I definitely strive to become great like him but in my own light. I feel like I can learn from the greats that are already ahead of me. I try to take from all of them and try to learn from them."

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