The Cleveland Cavaliers went all-in this offseason, trading for All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell. The Utah Jazz were the busiest team in the NBA, offloading both Rudy Gobert and Mitchell. Gobert was shipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves early this summer. Then they shocked the NBA world when the Cavs acquired Mitchell in exchange for a huge package.
The Cavs sent Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, three unprotected first round picks and two pick swaps for the All-Star guard.
On Wednesday, the Cavaliers opened up their preseason with a game against the Philadelphia 76ers. It didn’t take long for Mitchell to show exactly why the Cavs were willing to give up so much.
Mitchell knocked down an open trey from the wing. Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, who is very long, tried closing out. But Mitchell has a quick release and doesn’t miss with that type of look. He’s known as one of the most deadly shooters in the league.
Donovan Mitchell should pair very nicely with Darius Garland. The latter is more of a distributor, even though he can also score the ball.
The Cavs already had a formidable front court with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. The two big men roaming the paint should weak havoc on opponents trying to score down low. But now those same opponents will have an equally difficult time slowing down the Cavs offense.
The only reason Cleveland is not projected as one of the top seeds in the conference is because the East is loaded. The Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets and aforementioned Sixers are all talented. This should be a lot of fun to watch at the very least.
