The Cleveland Cavaliers have aspirations of winning the NBA championship this season. After falling to the Indiana Pacers in five games in the second round last year, the Cavs decided to run it back with the same core pieces they had on the roster.
Donovan Mitchell is the star player who helps the team go. He’s the best offensive player they have and is a perennial All-Star. After heavy speculation that Mitchell wanted a trade from the Cavs, he signed a three-year deal worth $150.3 million in 2024.
Even with that hefty contract, rumors have persisted about his love for the New York Knicks and whether or not he would try to force himself there. After another great performance in a victory over the Hawks on Sunday, Mitchell put any rumors that he’s unhappy in Cleveland to rest.
Cleveland Cavaliers Guard Donovan Mitchell Wants To Play 200 More Games for Cavs
In a postgame interview, Mitchell was informed that he had officially played 200 games with the team. Mitchell let everyone know he wants to keep playing more for the Cavs.
“It’s special. It’s an honor. Hopefully. I get two to three hundred more, right?”
Mitchell put to rest any doubt that he wants to leave Cleveland definitively with that comment. The Cavs have started the season 4-3, and they are fifth in the East to start out the season. Cleveland has suffered a multitude of injuries, however.
Jarrett Allen, Max Strus, and Sam Merrill are all out , leaving the Cavs without three of their top eight guys. That doesn’t include Darius Garland, who is the most important of their missing players. Garland is close to returning, according to Kenny Atkinson.
Mitchell has had to carry the offensive load while the Cavs struggle to get healthy, and has done a great job of doing so. So far this season, Mitchell is averaging 29.5 points on 55 percent shooting from the field. The Cavs still need to get healthy before the playoffs roll around.
Cavs Guard Donovan Mitchell Talks Team Health After Win
Mitchell acknowledged that the team still has to get healthy before they can truly be considered a contender for the NBA championship.
“The biggest thing is, this is great. The winning percentage is great, but we got to get a few guys in April and May. So this is all building blocks to get there. I’m definitely blessed. I love being here.”
From a health standpoint, Mitchell has had some mild injury concerns of his own since joining the Cavs, having never played more than 71 games in a season. Yet, he has been the best playoff performer the franchise has had since LeBron James.
Last year, Mitchell became the only other player in franchise history to score back-to-back 40+ point games in the playoffs after achieving that feat against the Pacers in Game 1 and Game 2. Unfortunately for the Cavs, they lost both games.
Mitchell is hoping to lead Cleveland to the one-seed in the Eastern Conference again this season while getting some better postseason results than they had a year ago.
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