Donovan Mitchell Grateful Cavaliers Hired Johnnie Bryant: ‘It’s Definitely A Blessing’

Donovan Mitchell told NBA reporter Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he’s grateful the Cleveland Cavaliers hired Johnnie Bryant.

Mitchell and Bryant are very close friends. They worked together on the Utah Jazz. 

“I appreciate him, man,” Mitchell said. “I consider him a brother now. For us to get one of the best coaches in the league and a future head coach in this league, it’s definitely a blessing. You added to just a great coach and Kenny, but now you’re adding a fantastic associate head coach as well who will be a head coach at some point.

“What he’s seen, he’s been around winning at a high level. To get him for sure was definitely huge. And obviously we had our relationship, but more importantly outside of that, you bring a basketball mind in player development and guy who really knows a lot about the game.”

Mitchell signed a three-year extension with the Cavaliers. The NBA star believes Cleveland will compete for a title this season as long as the team stays healthy. 

“We’re championship contenders when we’re healthy,” Mitchell said. “I feel like last year we grew in a lot of ways. We played a lot of different ways. Now during that stretch, we went on, obviously D.G. [Darius Garland] and Evan [Mobley] were hurt. But we found something that really can help bring us to the next level.

“So now the trick is how do we continue to implement that style of play over 82 [regular-season games] and then the final 16 [playoff] wins. But the development, that’s part of the reasons why I decided to sign was because I believe in our development. I believe in the hunger and the will that we have as a group.”

The Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2024 playoffs in five games. Mitchell, one of the best players in the NBA, has never reached the conference finals.