3 Cleveland Cavaliers who have exceeded expectations this year

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Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports) /

3 Cleveland Cavaliers who have exceeded expectations: Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell is a three-time All-Star, and he is no stranger to large scoring bursts. He averaged 20.5 points per game as a rookie and has never dropped below 23.8 since. Yet this year he is blowing away his previous career-best, dropping 29.5 points per game on an incendiary 64.4 percent true-shooting.

The last time the Cavs had someone scoring at this level was…well, you know who it was. Mitchell obviously isn’t LeBron James, but he is a legitimate MVP candidate as he scores inside and out for one of the league’s best teams. In particular, his 3-point shooting has been electric. Out of all 25 players attempting at least seven 3-pointers per game Mitchell ranks second in 3-point percentage at 42.8 percent, behind only Stephen Curry.

The advanced metrics back up Mitchell’s impact too. Box Plus-Minus ranks Mitchell fifth on offense and seventh overall. Estimated Plus-Minus ranks him 11th overall and fifth on offense. When you factor in volume he is seventh in the league in Estimated Wins added. RAPTOR wins above replacement? Fifth. So on and so forth.

Mitchell has been everything the Cavs could have hoped for in acquiring him this summer. Without taking anything away from Darius Garland or Jarrett Allen he has been the best player on the Cavs, full-stop, and has given them a top-15 player right now to lead them into the playoffs for the first time since the last one left.