Isaiah Mobley declares for NBA Draft
USC forward Isaiah Mobley is headed to the NBA after a three-year career with the Trojans. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound big man announced his decision Saturday in a Twitter post.
Mobley tested the NBA draft last offseason before ultimately deciding to return for one final year in cardinal and gold. This time, Mobley will hire an agent and be unable to return.
He led the Trojans in scoring and rebounding this past season. Mobley averaged 14.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. He also led the Trojans with 29 blocked shots and his 106 assists and 24 steals both ranked second.
Mobley was the most impactful player for the Trojans this past season. He scored in double digits in 11-straight games over the middle part of the season. That streak eventually stretched to 19 out of 22 games.
For his work as a junior, Mobley was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team this season.
Mobley’s biggest impact arguably came during USC’s NCAA Tournament run following the 2020-21 season. The Trojans blitzed Drake, Kansas and Oregon on their way to the Elite 8. In those wins, Mobley scored 15, 17 and 13 points. He had 19 rebounds and eight assists during that run as well. The Trojans eventually lost to Gonzaga, but Mobley had 19 points and seven rebounds in that game.
USC has had players drafted in four-straight NBA drafts and the Trojans have had first-round picks in each of the past three drafts.
Impact of Mobley’s Departure
This is a significant loss for the Trojans. Mobley was an experienced veteran and a talented leader.
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Replacing his numbers might need to come from a few different places unless the Trojans can go find an immediate replacement via the transfer portal.
Six-foot-11 forward Josh Morgan has taken steps since his arrival as a transfer from Long Beach State. He averaged 3.2 points and 2.9 rebounds this season. His defensive ability is unquestioned. Morgan finished second on the team with 28 blocked shots while playing just 12 minutes per game. But he’ll need to continue improving his offensive game if he’s going to be a significant factor in replacing Mobley.
The Trojans could also get increased contributions from Harrison Hornery. The 6-foot-9 true freshman played about four minutes per game this season and could be the outside-shooting big-man presence that Mobley was at times. Thirteen of Hornery’s 17 shots came from three-point range.
Mobley is the last to depart of USC’s outstanding run of big men, when the Trojans landed five-stars in Mobley, younger brother Evan Mobley and Onyeka Okongwu in back-to-back classes in 2019 and 2020. USC is back at it with big men in this incoming 2022 class.
Four-star center Vince Iwuchukwu and four-star forward Kijani Wright are both top-50 players in the country. Iwuchukwu checks in at 7-foot, 220-pounds and Wright is 6-foot-9, 220 pounds. They’ll need to adjust to the college game, but they bring college-ready talent and could also be factors in replacing Mobley’s production.
