Cavaliers’ struggles cost Donovan Mitchell an accolade he clearly deserved

The NBA All-Star Game announced the starters for the year festivities on Monday afternoon. Cleveland Cavaliers fans everywhere were stunned to see the results and notice their star player missing from the bunch. Donovan Mitchell did not make the cut in the Eastern Conference.

The five starters selected included: Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks, Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons, and Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Cavaliers have not played up to their lofty preseason expectations thus far. The team has trended in the right direction of late, but it has clearly proven to be too little too late to have Mitchell's career year recognized among the All-Star starters.

Donovan Mitchell misses out on All-Star starter spot despite career year

Mitchell came oh so close to getting that fifth and final spot in the East too. The Cavs guard was the first player left out of the starting lineup according to the NBA's complete voting results.

Mitchell placed exactly sixth among the players, fans, and media alike. That's a tough look.

There is no issue here in terms of whether Mitchell will make the game overall. Barring the most unforeseen of circumstances, the Cavs star should be an absolute lock to make the All-Star Game as a reserve. That's not the point here, though.

Mitchell is having his best year in the NBA across several categories. Some of the most notable include points per game, field goal percentage, and 3-point percentage.

From an individual standpoint, one could easily argue his statistical season has been more impressive than some of the starters. The problem is Mitchell being the face of the Cavaliers. In this case, that makes him the first player people think of when they linger on the underachieving group in Cleveland.

Winning may not be an issue for someone like Antetokounmpo, who is largely unbreakable in his status among the most elite players the NBA has to offer. Mitchell is not quiet on the level.

Anyone who would point to the 76ers having a worse record than the Cavs should also be reminded that Philadelphia is overachieving their non-existent expectations heading into the campaign. That much is not true for Cleveland.

Hopefully for Cavaliers fans and enjoyers of Mitchell's game as a whole, the All-NBA selection process will be kinder to the exciting star. The Cavs should have an opportunity to enjoy a strong second half of the season, which would undoubtedly help his case.