Cleveland Cavaliers superstar Donovan Mitchell is without a doubt one of the most explosive offensive players in the NBA right now. The fact that he dropped a mind-numbing 71 points earlier this season is a clear testament to this fact. As such, the Cavs combo guard is usually matched up with the opposing team’s best defender on any given night. At this point, it’s safe to say that Mitchell has faced off with the best defenders the league has to offer.
In this respect, Mitchell has come out with his Top 5 best defenders in the entire NBA. Without providing much context, the Cavs star named Jrue Holiday, Lu Dort, OG Anunoby, and Bam Adebayo on his list. For the fifth spot, he said it was a tie between Marcus Smart and Draymond Green:
Most Top 5 lists are often controversial, but there’s no denying that this one is pretty contentious, to say the least. Giannis Antetokounmpo has to be scratching his head after hearing this, and perhaps the Milwaukee Bucks star will want to match up with Mitchell the next time they battle each other on the basketball court. Does Giannis’ Defensive Player of the Year title count for nothing?
Talking about the DPOY, Memphis Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. also failed to crack Mitchell’s Top 5. Even his own Cavs teammate, Evan Mobley, who was voted third for this season’s DPOY title, wasn’t on there as well. I guess Mobley didn’t qualify because he’s teammates with Mitchell? I’d surely want to know what these qualifications are, and perhaps Giannis would like the same as well.