Donovan Mitchell is unsurprisingly en route to another All-NBA season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Averaging a career-high 30.2 points per game alongside 5.4 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 4 three-pointers, Mitchell is putting together a legendary season despite the team's rocky first half of the regular season.
With injuries plaguing the roster across the board, Mitchell has taken it on himself to keep the team afloat in a competitive Eastern Conference. He is currently the NBA's leading three-point shooter with 121 threes made on 39 percent from deep. Mitchell has also provided more than his fair share of electric highlights for the crowd, challenging the league's best interior defenders with unforgettable aerial combat.
Cleveland has one game left of 2025, inviting the Phoenix Suns to town for a New Year's Eve afternoon matchup. Entering that game, the Cavs hold a 18-16 record and are struggling to rediscover their conference dominance they enjoyed last regular season.
Mitchell has been undoubtedly phenomenal this season. He is putting together what is arguably the greatest single season in Cavaliers history by any player not named LeBron James. As the rest of the team continues to struggle across the board, however, Cleveland unfortunately needs even more from Mitchell to save the year.
Mitchell needs to evolve his passing and defense to save the Cavs
The Cavaliers have gone through stretches looking like the league's worst team, constructing painful losing streaks against lottery-bound teams.
Mitchell's scoring output has not been enough to save a team that is falling apart. Since joining the Cavs, Mitchell has prided himself on being a true leader for the team and takes that responsibility seriously. If he's ready to be the best player on a championship team, Mitchell needs to make a New Year's resolution to elevate his game to the next level on defense and as a passer.
After defining themselves as a defense-first squad over the years, the Cavaliers have fallen to 14th in the NBA with a 114.1 defensive rating. Isaac Okoro's departure from the Cavs this summer took away Cleveland's best perimeter defender, and nobody on the roster has taken the mantle and shown the intensity Okoro did.
This year, the Cavs are allowing the third-highest opponent three-point percentage at 38 percent. On offense, Cleveland is shooting an eight-worst 34.8 percent on 43.3 attempts per game. The Cavaliers' inability to stop shooting from deep has created a pitfall that has killed their momentum throughout the early season.
As the halfway point of the regular season nears, the Cavaliers cannot believe that teams will suddenly stop shooting well on open three-pointers. The Orlando Magic are a real team, but magic is not a real strategy to fix a bad defense.
Mitchell is the Cavaliers' best player, thus clearly playing the most minutes each game. Standing at 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan (earning him the nickname Spida), Mitchell's playing time and physical build makes him the best possible option to elevate the Cavs' perimeter defense.
Although a prolific scorer, the Cavs need Mitchell to take on the job as the leader of point-of-attack defense. He has shown the capability to position his strength and long arms to be a versatile defender, but he has struggled to showcase that talent this year.
Admittedly, Mitchell has had to bail out his teammates on offense all season, likely draining his energy too much to also be the best guard defender. As the Cavs get healthier as the year goes on, Mitchell's offensive burden will hopefully diminish and allow him to take on more defensive responsibility.
In 2026, Mitchell will learn the lesson that every NBA all-time great learns. To win the Finals, the champion's best player cannot afford to be a negative asset on either end of the court. With the turn of the calendar year, Mitchell must bring a brand-new look to his defensive effort and production.
The Cleveland Cavaliers need saving, and Mitchell has shown a willingness to do it. Now, his biggest challenge has arrived with Cleveland needing saving on defense. If Mitchell can answer the call, the Cavs may still be able to turn around a rough season and enter the postseason built for a deep run.