The Cleveland Cavaliers are facing a new wave of criticism, and this time, it is aimed squarely at their franchise cornerstone. On his podcast, Memphis Grizzlies guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made some pretty harsh comments about Donovan Mitchell that have begun circulating rapidly around NBA circles. The topic of discussion being whether or not Mitchell should be considered a true superstar in the league. According to Caldwell-Pope, the answer is a resounding no.
"Superstars can win me games," Caldwell-Pope said. "Can he do that consistently every night? Go out there and try to win me a game? We're talking about superstars, though. We're talking about getting teams involved, getting players involved. Going out there and [saying]: 'When my team needs me to win, I'm going to go get this win.' I can't do that with Donovan Mitchell."
The quote is already sparking debate, and for good reason. Mitchell has been one of the biggest reasons for the Cavaliers' resurgence over the last three seasons, averaging north of 25 points per game and carrying the team to the number one seed in 2024-25. But given Cleveland's shortcomings, there is growing doubt surrounding whether Mitchell can elevate a team deep into the postseason, especially after Cleveland's second-round exit at the hands of the Indiana Pacers.
KCP doesn't believe in Mitchell's team-elevating abilities
Caldwell-Pope's comments are the latest iteration of the same type of criticism that has been made of Mitchell ever since his time with the Utah Jazz. He's an incredibly dynamic scorer and gifted athlete, but his consistency and performance in the clutch of playoff moments where the stakes are highest has been where doubters continue to stick their heads.
For the most part, Donovan has typically shrugged off this type of criticism. But a statement like this one that comes from a respected veteran and two-time NBA champion is pretty hard to just ignore. Especially when it taps into a legitimate concern many league observers already share behind the scenes.
Cleveland is going to enter the 2025-26 season needing more than just individual brilliance from its star guard. If Mitchell wants to put this narrative to rest, the formula is simple: he's going to have to show up in the biggest games, make those around him better, and be the reason his team consistently takes home wins.
Ultimately, team success matters more than individual accolades, titles or perceptions about a particular player. Donovan probably isn't losing sleep over this particular scenario. But at the same time, it's certainly annoying that this is the narrative still following Mitchell around.