USC’s Evan Mobley reminds NBA draft analysts of a young Joel Embiid

It has been apparent to most NBA draft experts since the season began that Oklahoma State freshman guard Cade Cunningham would be the No. 1 overall pick, an outstanding shooter who can pass and play defense.

Perhaps the most interesting prospect, however, from a substantial pool of potential freshmen one-and-dones is 7-foot Southern California center Evan Mobley, who is gaining much attention for the numbers he is putting up for the No. 19 Trojans.

How much attention? One observer called Mobley “the most intriguing big to enter the draft since Joel Embiid in 2014.”

Mobley leads the conference in rebounds (8.5 per game) and blocked shots (2.96). He is sixth in scoring with a 16.7-point average and third in field goal percentage at 59.5%. NBA scouts like his size, skill, and agility, his instincts on the defensive end and the consistency he has shown for a 19-year-old freshman playing in a major conference.

“The multiskilled part of his game is what’s different,” Pac-12 Network analyst and former UCLA star Don MacLean told Yahoo Sports. “There’s a lot of 7-footers that can dunk and run but this guy can pass, he can shoot, he’s got a great feel. His basketball IQ is off the charts. There are no holes in his offense. He’s going to be a tremendous NBA player.”

Mobley shows great chemistry with his older brother, Isaiah, in the Trojans’ lineup. In one recent game against Arizona State, Evan had 22 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, while Isaiah contributed 20 points and 12 boards.

“Evan looked like Tom Brady with the ball in his hand just reading the defense and making the right play,” Trojans coach Andy Enfield said.

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The 6-foot-7 Cunningham has received rave reviews all season. He leads the Big 12 in scoring with an 18.7-point average and had a three-game stretch where he made or assisted on 44% of Oklahoma State’s field goals, including 20 points in an overtime win over No. 18 Texas Tech with more than a dozen NBA scouts and executives watching.

Waiting right behind Cunningham and Mobley, according to most observers, is 6-4 point guard Jalen Suggs of Gonzaga. The SEC also has a pair of freshmen lottery candidates in 6-4 guard Cameron Thomas, who leads the conference in scoring with a 22.7-point average and is second in the nation with 143 made free throws, and 6-6 shooting guard Moses Moody of Arkansas.

Another freshman who could go in the lottery is 6-9 forward Jalen Johnson, who announced last week that he was leaving Duke to concentrate on the draft.

So what in the world is happening at Pitt?

In a span of 24 hours this week, the Panthers lost their second- and third-leading scorers. On Thursday, 6-6 junior swingman Au’Diese Toney left the program “by mutual agreement,” according to a statement from head coach Jeff Capel. The day before, 6-3 point guard Xavier Johnson left the team immediately with plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal.

A season that began with so much promise for the Panthers, who were 8-2 after a Jan. 19 victory over Duke, has collapsed. They have lost seven of their last eight and are 9-9 (5-8 in the ACC) with three regular-season games remaining.

“We wish those two well. They’re both good kids,” Capel said Thursday on his weekly radio show, as reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “As I’ve said all year, this has been an incredibly difficult year with everything that’s going on and the pandemic and stuff with mental health and pressures and the things they feel.

“I hope people don’t judge these kids, both on and off the court, for the decisions they make. There are a lot of factors that go into these decisions.”

Toney averaged 14.4 points and 5.9 rebounds, second on the team in both categories, and was considered the team’s best defensive player. Johnson averaged 14.2 points and a team-high 5.7 assists.

With the departure of Toney and Johnson and the transfer of guard Trey McGowens in the offseason, Pitt has no one remaining from Capel’s 2018 recruiting class.

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Former Neumann-Goretti High School star Quade Green is leading Washington in scoring and assists through what has been a dismal 5-18 season for the Huskies. The 6-foot Green, a senior who transferred to Washington after a year-and-a-half at Kentucky, averages 14.6 points and 3.4 assists this season with seven games of 20 points or more. He scored 16 points and established a season high with seven assists in Thursday night’s 97-64 loss to Arizona State.