The Cleveland Cavaliers keep avoiding the idea of being concerned amid a brutal 15-12 start to the 2025-26 NBA season. There are a ton of emotions swirling in Northeast Ohio right now. Simply changing the word does not dismiss the overall sentiment of those feelings.
"It's upsetting," Donovan Mitchell said on Sunday night. "It's stuff that we can control. ... We're also not making shots, which sometimes affects our defense, which isn't great. I'm not going to use the word concern, like I told you all before, but it's upsetting. That's a team thing."
Mitchell explained the Cavaliers needed a 'relentless mental push' to get themselves to a point of delivering 100 percent on the floor. Several concerning trends such as lackluster defense continue to stand out as places where the poor effort shows itself for Cleveland.
The Cavaliers star wanted to put a lot of the disappointing 119-111 overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets on himself. Mitchell had a rough shooting night, going 6-of-24 for 17 points. The reality is this has been, and continues to be, much bigger than just an issue involving him alone.
Being concerned about the Cavaliers is more than warranted by now
Bad habits will always be bad habits. Whether you are a contender, playoff hopeful, or a young team trying to build for the future, those are not things you want to be a part of your approach.
The Cavaliers have a ton of them right now.
Mitchell has previously stated the time to push the panic button has not come. If these conversations continue into January and February, that is when they truly become troublesome, according to the Cavs guard.
That is a nice thought, and it offers some truth to it. However, after some much-needed time off and a period of everyone on the Cavaliers discussing just how much Kenny Atkinson called them out for their poor effort, seeing that nothing has really changed is an alarming reality.
It is the type of status quo that rapidly brings questions of what needs to happen next.
Koby Altman preached about not rushing any rash decisions during the offseason, believing in what the Cavaliers had to offer. The group he chose to double down on is showing some serious cracks in the foundation.
Ahead of the 2025-26 season, the Cavaliers were touted right alongside the New York Knicks as the two teams who were supposed to run a weakened Eastern Conference. The Knicks have done their part. The Cavaliers have not.