Donovan Mitchell is excited about the Cleveland Cavaliers early on in the 2025-26 season.
While the Cavaliers haven’t been off to an amazing start this season, they have managed to post a solid record (4-3) without two of their key players in All-Star guard Darius Garland and Max Strus. Garland will likely make his season debut against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, while Strus has been sidelined after undergoing foot surgery in August.
Despite missing two of their key starters from last season, the Cavaliers have already racked up wins over the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks, two solid Eastern Conference playoff teams from last season.
Mitchell — who is in the midst of his fourth season in Cleveland — details why he’s “excited” about this year’s team.
“Honestly, I’m really excited with where we’re at,” Mitchell told Cavaliers Nation just prior to their game against the Sixers. “Lots of guys are hurting, obviously, and I think our record being 4-3, I wanted to make sure the guys were still like, ‘This isn’t last year. Like 15-0, all these different things.’ I think for us, being 4-3 puts us in a better spot in my opinion, just because you’re able to learn.”
The Cavaliers obviously got off to a sensational start last year, starting out the 2024-25 season with a 15-0 record. That was tied for the second-best start in NBA history. They ended the season with a 64-18 record, the top mark in the East.
However, despite their hot start to the season, Cleveland was surprisingly eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the semifinals of the playoffs. It was obviously a sour ending for a team that was expected to at least make it to the NBA Finals.
Mitchell says there’s a silver lining to the injuries to their veteran guys early on in the season, with newcomer Lonzo Ball and youngsters such as Jaylon Tyson being asked to play major minutes and key roles. The 22-year-old Tyson is averaging 10.9 points in 24.3 minutes per game after averaging just 9.6 minutes per game during his rookie season last year.
“The way we’ve won, the way we’ve lost these games, one game we lost to Toronto with our two starters — which is Ev (Evan Mobley) and De’Andre [Hunter] — and a bunch of young guys,” said Mitchell. “I tell our young guys all summer, ‘Hey, we’re going to need you guys when it comes to playoff time. We know what DG (Garland) can do. We know what I can do. With Max, we know what you get. But it’s the depth. Lonzo Ball has been phenomenal. All the guys who are new and young, we want to continue to find ways to incorporate that together.”
The 29-year-old Mitchell has been to the playoffs eight different times in his career, but he has yet to advance past the second round. The six-time All-Star guard says that depth is absolutely pivotal — meaning one through 15 — in order to win a championship.
While the injuries aren’t exactly ideal, it’ll help gain experience for many of the Cavaliers’ backup players. They could prove to be the difference when it comes to a deep playoff run for Cleveland this season.
“I tell them all the time, as unfortunate as it is, those guys are out,” said Mitchell of the Cavaliers’ key injuries. “DG, Max, Sam [Merrill], it really helps the young guys to be put in positions, but they kind of have to do more and learn more on the fly. They’ve been doing a phenomenal job. I’m really happy with where things are going. Would you want to be 7-0? For sure, but I think it’s great to learn throughout this project, this whole process. When you get to April, you’re not caught off guard with what’s going on.”