Grading Cavs’ trade for Donovan Mitchell from all angles

Grading Cavs’ trade for Donovan Mitchell from all angles: The Fit

Offensively this move is a tremendous one, solving the Cavs’ problems from last year and putting the rest of the Eastern Conference on notice. Both Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell can dribble, run pick-and-rolls, drive into the defense, finish, pass, and even move off-ball. Defenses are going to be incredibly hard-pressed to stop this pairing.

Last year’s Cavs were essentially reduced to Garland running the show, with Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio hurt, and he did brilliantly. When Garland went off the court or was doubled, the rest of the team struggled to pick up the slack. They finished 20th; now they have turned that weakness into a strength, with Mitchell and Garland one of the league’s most dynamic guard pairings. In fact, they might be the best.

Defensive is where things get a bit dicey. Both Garland and Mitchell lack the ideal size to be plus defenders, and whether it is their offensive load or their underlying skill level, neither has shown much on that end in the past few years. Yet where Mitchell represents an upgrade on Sexton or Caris LeVert is his wingpsan, which clocks in at 6’10”, for a rare +9 wingspan. He has the athleticism and quickness to be an above-average defender, he just has to work to improve in that area.

The good thing for the Cavs is that if you are going to have two small guards in the backcourt, you better have an elite frontcourt, and few teams can match the Cavs’ combination of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley defensively. Ideally the Cavs would have cashed their chips in for a two-way wing, but they weren’t getting one of those players without including one of their core members. For what the Cavs were willing to get up, Mitchell’s fit and production is sublime.

Grade: B+