In his two seasons with the Cavs Mitchell has become known as a standout scorer in the NBA and his critical contributions have been key in transforming Cleveland from a team that was just making it to the Play-In Tournament into a consistent playoff contender. After being traded to Cleveland in a major deal with the Utah Jazz back in 2022 it was Mitchell who took charge and guided the Cavs to the playoffs not once but twice.
In the previous season his performance was impressive with an average of 26.6 points alongside 5.1 rebounds 6.1 assists and 1.8 steals in every game. His shooting accuracy was notable too hitting 46.2% of his shots from the field and making 36.8% of his attempts from beyond the arc. During his time with the Cavs he's earned a spot on the All-Star team twice and even set a new record for the Cavs by scoring an astounding 71 points in a single game against the Chicago Bulls during the 2022-23 season.
Over the course of two seasons playing for Cleveland Mitchell has been scoring an average of 27.5 points per game alongside making 5.2 assists and grabbing 4.6 rebounds.
Cleveland's performance dipped to 48 wins and 34 losses last season plagued by injuries with key players such as Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland sidelined for games. In contrast the Cavaliers had celebrated reaching over 50 victories in the season before their first time hitting such a milestone since the era when LeBron James played for them in the 2017-18 season.
Under the guidance of J.B. Bickerstaff who took the helm in 2019 the team saw a solid regular-season run with a record of 170 wins to 159 losses. When it came to the playoffs their performance dipped leading to a 6-11 record under his leadership. Making it to the Eastern Conference semifinals was a high point for the Cavs yet they stumbled there losing to the Boston Celtics who went on to claim the championship by a margin of 4-1 in that series.
After deciding to let Bickerstaff go the Cavs brought in Kenny Atkinson who had been helping out the Golden State Warriors. Having lent his expertise to the Warriors for three years Kenny Atkinson had before that dedicated a season to the LA Clippers as an assistant coach. He led the Brooklyn Nets as their coach starting in 2016 and up until 2020. Their journey together came to an end on March 7 2020 following a season where the team's record stood at 28 wins and 34 losses.
Atkinson mentioned during his first news conference on Monday how he along with Koby Altman the president of basketball operations and some others from the Cavs team made a trip to Los Angeles to see Mitchell's "Spida Elite Camp" which is known for bringing together the best young guards in the country.
For Atkinson the meeting was mainly about becoming more familiar with each other. However for the Cavs it presented yet another opportunity to share their aspirations with Mitchell.
"Altman made it clear on Monday that their confidence in Donovan is strong; he emphasized that Donovan is not only in a top-notch mental state but also enjoys robust health." He truly cares about our work and we're hopeful that we'll soon reach a clear decision regarding a contract extension. His contribution has been outstanding. He has been deeply engaged and worked closely with others showing strong support for Cleveland.
Since James left in 2018, the Cavs haven't made it back to the Eastern Conference Finals. Having added Mitchell to their lineup through a trade in 2022, the Cavs finished the season with 51 wins and 31 losses, securing the home-court advantage in the opening round only to be eliminated by the New York Knicks after just five games.
