Speaking in a recent chat with the media, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell spoke on his team’s hot start to the 2024-25 season. As the top team in the East, with the NBAs best record, Mitchell acknowledged that the Cavs are in a good place but that the work is far from over.
“We’re playing good basketball, but can we be this team consistently? Can we be this team when we lose two or three in a row? Can we be this team in the dog days right before the All-Star break? How long can we sustain? That’s the challenge.”
The Cavaliers have been one of the biggest stories of the season so far. After an underwhelming campaign last year, they began this season with low expectations for their standing in the East. Instead, they’ve been the league’s best team so far at 31-4.
With Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, the Cavaliers have hit an amazing stride and they are having their best stretch since the departure of LeBron James in 2018. Currently, the Cavs are the top offense in the NBA with an offensive rating of 122.0. They are also 7th on defense at 110.2
For his part, Donovan Mitchell is having a career year on the court and he’s living up to his role as the leading star of the franchise. Through 34 games this season, Mitchell is averaging 23.3 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game on 45.7% shooting.
Mitchell is a strong MVP candidate right now and his Cavaliers are in a position to finish atop the standings for the first time in years. Even so, Donovan wants to ensure that his team doesn’t get caught up in their success.
Historically, the Cavaliers don’t have much experience winning at the highest level and, outside LeBron James, they don’t have anyone who has consistently led them to the depths of the postseason,
Back in 2023, with the same roster, they were embarrassed in the first round by the New York Knicks, who bullied them out of the playoffs. Last season, after a hard-fought first round against the Magic, the Cavaliers dropped the ball in the second round against the Boston Celtics, who went on to win the title.
For most of the Cavaliers’ history, they’ve been bottom feeders in the East, competing for the draft lottery while other teams were competing for titles. But now, with their current young core developed to full form, they are looking like a borderline dynasty in the NBA.
For Mitchell and the others, it’s imperative that they don’t get caught up with their current success or it may distract them from the bigger mission this season. The only way to prove the doubters wrong and silence the haters this season is to make a run in the playoffs and become the first Cavaliers team to win a title without LeBron James.
Only then can the season be considered a success for Mitchell and the Cavs, and they still have a long way to go. But if they can show some consistency and sustain this high level of play throughout the season, it’ll be a good sign for how their game translates to the post-season.
For now, the Cavaliers will shift their focus to the next game, which is tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (7:00 PM EST). On Thursday, January 9th, the Cavs will face the Toronto Raptors at home before a showdown against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, January 12th, at 6:00 PM EST.
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