Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell is easily a Top 10 player in the NBA
By John Suchan
Donovan Mitchell has had the best start to his career in this first season with his new team in the Cleveland Cavaliers. That start and the fact that Mitchell has had a solid, All-Star career already has put him in the discussion as a Top 10 player in the NBA right now. Prior to this season, he had been considered at least one of the 20 best players in the league. Now, with his play with Cleveland, Mitchell has now legitimately landed among the league’s 10 best players.
Let’s take a look at three ways that showcase this new Top 10 status.
Reason No. 3: Mitchell’s strong start to the season
Mitchell has already gotten off to a heck of a start this season. In the 11 games he’s played in, he has scored more than 30 points in eight of them. His shooting percentage is up to 51%. He’s been a career 24 points a game player but this year he has taken that to a new level by averaging close to 32 points.
His three-point shooting has been equally as impressive as his average is hovering around 43% and well above his 36% career average.
It’s not only his shooting that has helped the Cavs get off to their 8-4 start this season, but also the other parts of his game like the assists he makes on a nightly basis. He’s already had six games where he’s dished out more than five assists in a game. His high mark was a 12-assist night when the team beat the New York Knicks a few weeks ago.
He’s helped carry this team on his back on a few occasions already this season. In that Knicks game, the team was down by nine points late when Mitchell turned on heat in the fourth quarter and scored several baskets. Knowing that you have a Top 10 player on your team also gives the other players on the team even more confidence to get better and contribute more to the team.
Cavs fans don’t have to go back far in their memory bank to remember a former Cavalier named LeBron James who used to make his teammates better all the time. That’s definitely what has already started to happen again in Cleveland with Mitchell leading the pack. Top 10 players can do that and Mitchell has joined the club.