Donovan Mitchell is one of the biggest names to be moved in the trade market in recent years, as the Utah Jazz sold high on both him and Rudy Gobert in the 2022 offseason. Mitchell was expected to be a New York Knick, but was moved to the Cavaliers and has instantly elevated an already competitive core of players.
The Cavaliers could have had a top-6 seed last season if health was on their side. The team ultimately slumped out of the play-in and extended their playoff drought since 2018 by another year. However, with Mitchell and the squad from last year, the Cavaliers are expected to be a force in the East. Spida was at the Cleveland Browns game and was interviewed, where he revealed that he expects the young team to be ready to compete.
“A guy that puts in the work. Nonstop. There can be ups and downs but you continue to put in the work. Not just myself, but guys like Evan, Darius, K-Love, Caris, Jarrett Allen, and the list goes on. We got a team that is young and ready to compete. We got a taste of the playoffs last year, but we’re looking to keep progressing and keep getting better each year.”
"Honestly, a guy who just puts in the work nonstop… We got a team that's ready to compete."@spidadmitchell to Cavs fans on what to expect from him this season
(via @TaylorRooks)pic.twitter.com/jTKIstpev5
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 23, 2022
Can The Cleveland Cavaliers Battle For A Top 4 Seed?
The Cavaliers would have been in this position if Collin Sexton stayed healthy last year but now they have an All-Star caliber player in Donovan Mitchell, who is also playoff-tested. If they manage to stay healthy through the year, there is no reason the Cavaliers miss out on being a team with homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, and the Brooklyn Nets are presumed to be the 4 best teams in the Conference. However, teams like the Cavaliers or the Atlanta Hawks could easily disrupt that top-end hierarchy and it seems Donovan Mitchell is ready for the Cavs to shock the world.
