The Cleveland Cavaliers have shown that they were not simply an early-season mirage; they have used their hot start to the 2024-25 season as a springboard to emerge as a legitimate championship contender. At present, the Cavs have the best record in the NBA, with 54 wins against just 10 losses — credentials that make them one of the most feared teams in the association. But even then, none of their players, not even Donovan Mitchell, have been drawing serious buzz to win the MVP award.
Mitchell, who hopes that he would garner at least some sort of consideration for the award, doesn’t think that voters will give him a shot. Nonetheless, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson, who works with Mitchell at such an up-close and personal level, endorsed Spida for MVP, saying that his case for the award is similar to that of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s.
“I hope we will (have Donovan in the top five of MVP voting). If you look at Shai, Shai’s having a great year, Donovan is right there. Just for argument’s sake, best player on best team,” Atkinson said, via Cavaliers Nation.
Of course, the argument for MVP goes beyond how important a player is to the league’s most successful team. Over the past few years, voters haven’t placed as much emphasis on a team’s success as much as they do on someone’s individual brilliance as well as their overall impact — gauging just how much of their team’s success depends on the individual.
Mitchell’s statistical case admittedly pales in comparison to that of Gilgeous-Alexander’s and especially Nikola Jokic’s. But with the Cavs excelling this season, it would be quite a huge disservice if no Cleveland player finishes in the top-five of the MVP voting.
Cavs are brilliant by committee
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
It’s not quite fair for some individuals’ MVP case to be penalized when they play for such a deep team. This is the crux of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP argument; his averages of 32.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.2 assists are definitely worthy of the award, but even that statistical profile fares much worse against Nikola Jokic’s.
This season, Donovan Mitchell’s numbers are down for the Cavs, with Spida taking a bit of a backseat to the likes of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. This is a noble sacrifice that has allowed Cleveland to blossom into the best team in the association, record-wise at least. But sacrifice cannot be considered as such without cost, and Mitchell’s MVP candidacy has taken a huge hit as a result.
