Donovan Mitchell joining the Cleveland Cavaliers was a huge move for the young star, he has taken the next step in his career. The Cavaliers are right there at the top of the Eastern Conference fighting for the first seed with the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Brooklyn Nets. And Mitchell is the piece that has turned a promising young roster into a legitimate contender for an NBA championship.
Donovan Mitchell had been on the fringes of the MVP race, but his 71-point historic performance against the Chicago Bulls has firmly catapulted him into the conversation. But just a few months ago, that seemed like a faraway prospect for Mitchell. The Utah Jazz flamed out in the first round of the playoffs last season and then promptly blew it all up, trading Rudy Gobert away.
Donovan Mitchell Knew He Might Be Traded, So He Went Off To Train By Himself And Try To Achieve The Next Level
And while it seemed like Mitchell would be traded, too, there was some uncertainty about it. Brian Windhorst reported for ESPN explaining what Mitchell did in the aftermath of the Gobert trade.
“Stories of summer workouts are common at the highest levels of the NBA, but last summer wasn’t just about building stamina. Mitchell was angry at the end of last season. Angry that the Utah Jazz had a disappointing year. Angry at the talk about relationships with teammates. Angry the team was planning a rebuild that included jettisoning him in hopes for a better future.
“He’d watched some of his peers catapult around him. Devin Booker in Phoenix. Ja Morant in Memphis. Jayson Tatum in Boston. Trae Young in Atlanta. These guys were on the All-NBA team, and Mitchell wasn’t.
“When it became clear his days in Utah were numbered after the Jazz traded Rudy Gobert on July 1, Mitchell canceled plans to join the team for workouts at summer league in Las Vegas and went to Miami instead. It was a mental, physical and emotional cleansing.”
The decision seems to have paid off for Mitchell, who is playing at a higher level at the moment. The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired him, and that has been one of the best moves of the offseason. It’s hard to tell what the team’s ceiling is, but Mitchell has a chance to go further in the playoffs this season than he ever did with the Utah Jazz.
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