The NBA announced who the All-Star starters would be on Monday afternoon. It was an honor Donovan Mitchell already knew would pass him by.
When the snub happened, the reaction over here at King James Gospel had to do with the Cleveland Cavaliers' struggles preventing Mitchell from getting a spot in the starting lineup despite a career year. The six-time All-Star was not too far off that line of thinking himself.
"To be honest, I kind of expected that," Mitchell said. "The guys that were named, their record is better than ours, so naturally you reward that. ... I want to be a starter for sure, but you understand that at the end of the day, we win games, everybody gets rewarded."
Mitchell closed off by saying the Cavaliers have not won contests at the rate they would like to. That's what ultimately comes first at the end of the day. When the Cavs guard did not hear anything about his selection during the game, he knew what his fate was in relation to the All-Star Game.
Cleveland’s uneven season undercut Mitchell’s case despite his best basketball
Mitchell mentioned the records, and everything he said held truth — with a couple of exceptions.
For anyone who may have missed it: Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, and Jalen Brunson ended up being the five players who beat out Mitchell in the East.
The Cavs were still jostling with the Philadelphia 76ers for positioning in the Eastern Conference standings during the day the choices were announced. Even so, given the close records, difference in expectations, and where the Cavaliers have been for the majority of the season, his point still stands.
Lackluster team play did not damage the case of Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee Bucks have had an even more miserable season than the Cavaliers have. However, some players are just beyond being affected. Plus, everyone understands what Giannis has to deal with is a waking nightmare.
On the whole, the lack of winning will indeed keep Mitchell relegated to the reserves announcement that will be decided by the coaches.
Mitchell has enjoyed an individual campaign that has featured a career-high points per game with 29.0. The Cavs star is also in a heated race with Stephen Curry for leading the NBA in 3-pointers made during 2025-26. The two sharpshooting dynamos are currently separate by just one single bucket from beyond the arc (in Curry's favor).
There is no doubt Mitchell will be in the All-Star Game. However, the haste to get him there was slowed by the Cavaliers' disappointing campaign.