Ever since the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz in 2022, there have been plenty of rumors linking Mitchell to an eventual departure. But two years later, Mitchell is still a member of the Cavs franchise, thanks in large part to the three-year, $150.3 million contract extension he signed in early July to show his commitment to the team. Now, the Cavs can block out all the outside noise and focus on their ultimate goal.
Next season will be Mitchell’s third in a Cavs uniform, and he hasn’t yet advanced deeper into the playoffs with Cleveland than he did with the Jazz. The Eastern Conference has been a bloodbath over the past two seasons, and it figures to be the same for the upcoming campaign. But Mitchell is very confident in their chances of being one of the conference’s best teams, especially with improved continuity up and down the roster.
“I’m excited. First off, I mean I wouldn’t have re-signed if I wasn’t. I think the biggest thing, we got a lot of guys that want to, and you know how that is, you could throw a bunch of people together and you know how the league is, some guys just don’t want to [be there]. You know what I’m saying?” Mitchell said in an appearance on 7PM in Brooklyn, a Wave Sports + Entertainment Original, hosted by NBA legend, Carmelo Anthony, and multi-talented comedian and host, The Kid Mero.
The Cavs star even referenced the reigning champion Boston Celtics, saying that it took the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown duo a fair while (and an NBA Finals heartbreak in 2022 at that) to break through in their hunt for a championship. Mitchell recognizes the value of staying the course.
“You don’t just put a team together and go win the chip. Like Boston been together for what, eight years, seven years and they finally got to the mountain top. Everybody assumes it’s going to happen right away…but you got to understand it’s a process…So just continuing to build upon that,” Mitchell added.
Perhaps the addition of a new head coach in Kenny Atkinson will unlock a new level for the Cavs as they look to put the stench of their playoff disappointments over the past two years completely in the rearview mirror.
Cavs embrace the growing pains brought forth by playoff defeats
The Cavs zoomed up the NBA standings during the 2022-23 season, as the addition of Donovan Mitchell gave the team the alpha scorer they needed. Moreover, Evan Mobley took the team’s defense to the next level, and the Cavs embraced a gritty, two-way identity. They entered the playoffs as the four-seed, much to the excitement of the fanbase.
However, the lights proved to be way too bright for the Cavs to take on, as Jarrett Allen admitted. They allowed the Knicks to bully them and push them around, and they fell in five games — a major disappointment.
The following year was an even more challenging one for the Cavs. They endured many injury problems, and they flew under the radar for most of the year. But then the Cavs managed to make it to the playoffs as the four-seed again, and this time, they managed to make it to the second round of the playoffs — only to run into the buzzsaw that is the eventual champion Celtics.
For Mitchell, he knows that improving step by step is important, and he is looking forward to see what the Cavs achieve next season.
“We lost to the Knicks two years ago and the summer after that, it was just a different look, a different vibe just from the player standpoint of like, all right, bet it’s not going to happen again. And even though we got Orlando, which is a really good team, took us seven games. There was a moment in game seven where it was like, nah, it ain’t happening. You know what I’m saying? So my thing is it’s all about the steps. It’s all about the building process,” Mitchell said.
