It was an overall positive experience for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets to play a regular season game in Paris. This is certainly the case for a Cavs team that came out victorious at Accor Arena on Thursday afternoon, taking a 111-102 victory over the Nets after leading for nearly the entire contest. Donovan Mitchell, in particular, went on a heater, dropping 45 points on 15-30 shooting from the field, being the undisputed best player in a game filled with many talented players.
In fact, Mitchell would want to come back and play in Paris yet again, and why wouldn’t he if he’s stroking the ball the way he did at Accor Arena. Now, it’ll be a wonder as to when the Cavs, or any of Mitchell’s future NBA teams for that matter, will be returning to Paris. But Spida could have a golden opportunity to return when Team USA flies to France for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Given the plethora of Hall of Fame-caliber players Team USA intends to bring for their Olympic squad this coming July, Donovan Mitchell’s inclusion remains up in the air. But make no mistake about it, he is more than willing to offer his services to a team that’s in dire need of avenging their medal-less finish during the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
“I’d love to come back and play the [2024 Paris] Olympics… [This is] a very electric basketball city, I realized that when I first came out here on my shoe tour… [I] had a lot of fun, I’m glad [Cavs] got the win as well,” Mitchell said in his postgame presser in Paris, per the official NBA Twitter account via ClutchPoints.
It won’t be the first time that Donovan Mitchell would represent his country in a major international competition if Team USA does bring in the Cavs star for their 2024 Paris Olympics squad. Mitchell was part of the 2019 iteration of the national team, which may be why he also has a chip on his shoulder as hey finished seventh in that competition.
Mitchell’s play certainly warrants a place on the Paris Olympics squad, especially when the Cavs star’s ability to space the floor and attack closeouts would come in handy to a team that could have LeBron James and Stephen Curry leading the way.