Donovan Mitchell Reflects on Growth, Peace, and Pursuit of a Title with Cavaliers

Donovan Mitchell remembers it like it was yesterday. A conversation he didn’t think much of at the time now resonates deeply as he enters the prime of his career with the Cavaliers, as written by NBA reporter Tony Jones of The Athletic.

“Remember this moment,” Mike Conley Jr. told Mitchell during the 2020-21 season when they were teammates on the Utah Jazz, a team that finished with the best record in the league, Jones relayed. “These kinds of teams don’t come around very often. Appreciate it.”

Mitchell, still a young star, didn’t fully grasp Conley’s words at the time, but now, at 28, the message hits home. Cleveland, like that 2021 Utah team, holds the best record in the NBA (26-4). And this time, Mitchell isn’t just the rising star — he’s the leader.

“What I’ve learned is that this isn’t forever. We are not invincible,” Mitchell told Jones. “You have to appreciate this, because this doesn’t come around too often. When Mike was saying that, it wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate it then, but when you’re as young as I was then, you don’t know what you don’t know.”

Mitchell now passes that wisdom on to his Cavaliers teammates.

“I find myself telling the guys in this locker room the same stuff that Mike and Joe (Ingles) and Ricky (Rubio) used to tell me,” he said. “What we have this season? This isn’t always the NBA. Not every locker room is like this.”

It’s been a journey for Mitchell, from a beloved rookie to an NBA All-Star and the center of trade rumors. But now, in Cleveland, Mitchell has found something elusive — peace.

“For years, everyone has talked about if I like Rudy (Gobert), or talked about me going to the New York Knicks or the Miami Heat,” he said. “So, it’s great to finally have that sense of peace.”

Mitchell loves his teammates, the locker room, and most importantly, he’s playing the best basketball of his career.

“Ideally, if I can paint a picture, I would win a championship at some point over the next five years,” he said. “It’s hard to win championships. It’s hard to win in this league. Despite public opinion, I love being in Cleveland and I want to win a title with this group.”

While Mitchell was the star of that 2021 Jazz team, he was far from the most experienced player. His leadership now is different.

“The way he communicates is something that’s been very welcomed,” said Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson. “He has an attention to detail, and the way he reaches out and is constantly texting and communicating has been terrific. He’s embraced a leadership role here.”

That leadership was on full display as Mitchell guided Cleveland to consecutive victories over the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. His teammates had a little fun, teasing him about his decreased number of dunks this season.

“That would have been a windmill a few years ago,” they joked about a simple two-handed dunk Mitchell had on a breakaway.

The playful banter may be lighthearted, but it speaks volumes about Mitchell’s evolution.

At 28, he’s no longer the explosive dunker he was at 22, but he’s a more complete player. He’s refined his game, defending better than ever and shooting 40% from three, his best mark yet.

His minutes have dropped to 31.6 per game, the lowest of his career, but that’s been key to his all-around development.

“Going this way, playing less minutes, that’s been the most different for me,” Mitchell said. “Winning cures everything, and that is the most important thing. I had to get used to knowing that I can’t take that BS shot. But there is so much talent on this team, and it’s easy to recognize that.”

Mitchell’s evolution has been mirrored in the Cavaliers’ success. Much like that 2021 Jazz team, Cleveland’s backcourt of Mitchell and Darius Garland is seen as too small to win a title. But Mitchell sees parallels.

“There are definitely a lot of similarities,” he said, referencing the dynamic ball movement, 3-point shooting, and a big man — Jarrett Allen this time instead of Rudy Gobert — that anchors the defense.

But the biggest difference?

“It’s different because we have two (big men) back there,” Mitchell said, referring to Allen and Evan Mobley. “It’s different because our perimeter defense has taken a step. But there are some very similar comparisons that are easy to look at and be like, OK, I can see that.”

Mitchell’s time in Utah shaped him, and though there were ups and downs, he doesn’t regret it.

“I think we both would say that we weren’t our most mature selves,” Mitchell said of his relationship with Gobert. “But, it’s tough, because you’re never the most mature you are going to be when you are 21 or 22.”

Mitchell’s growth, on and off the court, has led him to this moment in Cleveland — a moment he’s not taking for granted.

“I would do it all again if I could,” he told Jones. “I’m appreciative of that, because it allowed me to become this player and this person.”

Now, he’s ready to take this Cavaliers team to new heights and chase the championship he’s been dreaming of.

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