USC forward Isaiah Mobley declares for 2022 NBA Draft
Like his brother one year ago, Isaiah Mobley will look to hear his name called in the upcoming NBA Draft.
The USC forward officially announced on Saturday that he has declared for the 2022 NBA Draft and hired an agent. Mobley’s Trojan career is done after three highly-successful seasons.
“These past three years have been amazing,” he wrote in a post on Twitter. “I’ve had experiences that I’ll never forget, played with teammates that have become brothers (well, one brother that became a teammate), and I’ve done it all in front of the best fans in the country.”
3 out ✌🏽 pic.twitter.com/s9u3ZSHwoB
— Isaiah Mobley (@MobleyIsaiah) April 9, 2022
In his three years with the program, USC went 73-25. The 6-foot-10 forward from Murrieta, California, was a big reason why. Simply put, Mobley developed into one of college basketball’s most skilled big men. USC could run offense through him this season, trigger 4-5 pick-and-rolls between Mobley and frontcourt partner Chevez Goodwin, or rely on him to slow down opposing scorers.
After testing the draft waters last season, Mobley decided to return to school and saw his numbers take off with an expanded role. In 34 minutes a night at 32 starts, Mobley averaged 14.2 points, 8.3 boards, and 3.3 assists a game. His points rose from 9.9 a game in 2020-21 and his assists doubled. After a career year shooting the 3-ball as a sophomore (44%), Mobley’s percentages dipped this past season but still finished at a respectable 35% clip from 3.
Mobley finished the season top-12 among league players in points, rebounds, and assists.
He’ll end his USC career with 72 starts in 95 appearances and career averages of 10.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists.
His brother, Evan, was the fourth overall selection in last year’s NBA Draft. This year’s Mobley brother is a much tougher prospect to get a read on with regards to his draft status. He doesn’t show up in Kevin O’Connor’s Big Board (which is only 31 players deep at the moment) at The Ringer. Mobley is also absent from the full 58-pick mock draft from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz.
Mobley was a highly-regarded player coming out of high school, and he possesses a unique skillset for a player his size. We’ll have to wait and see how his stock evolves over the coming months. The 2022 NBA Draft will be held on Thursday, June 23, in Brooklyn. The NBA Draft Combine takes place from May 16-22.