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.
Reason No. 2: The competition
If you go to Fivethirtyeight.com, they have ranked Mitchell as the third-best player in the NBA right now. Only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic are listed above him. Their rankings factor in both offense and defense production so it’s pretty impressive that the Cavaliers’ new high-profile player is ranked so high.
Currently Mitchell is in fourth place as far as scoring is concerned with 31.6 points average per game. Only Luka Doncic, Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo sit ahead of him. As for total points scored, Mitchell is ranked fifth with 348 points. As for points per-48 minutes he’s ranked eighth in the league.
There’s always a seasonal discussion about who’s the best in the league and in many discussions, Mitchell was always mentioned as a top 20 player but now with his new team and challenge Mitchell has taken his game to the next level and put him in the top 10 chatter. It’s been well earned for this player, who now is in his sixth season.
He may have been somewhat overlooked in the past because he played for a relatively quiet Utah Jazz organization. While Mitchell earned some positive attention, his move to Cleveland has put his game on full display immediately and many are seeing what a huge impact player he can be.
Reason No. 1: Mitchell’s team will continue to be in contention
Besides all of the statistics that have been laid out on Mitchell‘s Top 10 status, there’s also the fact that he is playing for a young an upcoming team in the Cavaliers that will stay in contention for years to come.
How we assess completely a top 10 player in the NBA can be up for some discussion but knowing that Mitchell is in the prime of his career and playing with a rising team like the Cavs all suggest that he will maintain that Top 10 status and probably get closer to that top five status before his career ends.
With a Cleveland team filled with All-Stars as well, that will continue to give Mitchell the confidence to keep improving on his own game as well. We’ve already seen how his scoring average has skyrocketed this season. He is determined to help make his new team a champion and that drive is something that will keep him a top-tiered NBA player for a very long time.
It’s not often that a team gets an opportunity with a franchise-changing caliber type of player as Mitchell has shown.
The Cavaliers were spoiled in the LeBron years and after a four-year drought since, giving the fans a game changer again in Mitchell is really exciting to look forward to knowing that success will continue to pour in for this franchise.