Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell surprised many in the NBA world earlier by agreeing to a new long term contract with the franchise instead of requesting a trade. Many pundits had assumed that Mitchell would look for greener pastures after a second straight shallow playoff run with the Cavs, but the All-Star instead reaffirmed his commitment to the organization that traded for him during the 2022 offseason.
Mitchell has long been considered one of the elite pure scorers in the NBA today, and recently, the Cavs guard spoke on his confidence in his abilities during an appearance on Carmelo Anthony’s 7pm In Brooklyn podcast.
“I won’t ever not say myself just as first because it speaks to what Melo was saying,” said Mitchell when asked where he thinks he ranks as a scorer in the NBA. “I know what I do, I know how I work, I know what comes to it. So I would always put myself first, but I definitely–you got the Steph[en] Curry’s of the world, you got the Devin Bookers, you got Ant, you got Luka, you know what I’m saying? You got KD [Kevin Durant]. There’s so many guys. But, if I’m going to war, I’m always going to choose myself any day of the week. If I don’t, then what am I doing?”
What is the Cavs’ ceiling?
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At the current juncture, the top three in the Eastern Conference would seem to be solidified in most people’s eyes as the reigning champion Boston Celtics followed by the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks, both of whom made several big splashes this offseason.
However, beyond those three organizations, there is no clear pecking order, so it figures that the Cavs could fit into that next group of teams alongside squads like the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers.
This year, the Cavs will hope to see a lot more from Darius Garland, the point guard who appears to have plateaued after a very promising start to his career, and after glimpses of a dynamic backcourt duo between himself and Mitchell.
Cleveland will also be banking on the continued development of power forward Evan Mobley, who showed some flashes of beginning to put it all together during Cleveland’s loss to the Celtics in these past playoffs.
In any case, the Cavs’ 2024 season is set to get underway on October 23 vs the Toronto Raptors on the road at 7:30 PM ET.
