Donovan Mitchell and LeBron James
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Donovan Mitchell is averaging 29.5 points per game, which is fifth best in the league.
Donovan Mitchell is having his best season as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is top five in the league in scoring and there’s a good chance he will appear in his seventh consecutive All-Star game.
During Cleveland’s last game against the Orlando Magic, Mitchell finished with 45 points in the team win. It was his fifth 45-point game at home as a member of the Cavaliers and he tied LeBron James as the only other player to achieve that impressive stat five times.
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Donovan Mitchell had his fifth 45-point game at home as a member of the Cavaliers.
He ties LeBron James for most in franchise history 🔥
The way Mitchell’s played this season, it won’t be a surprise if he surpasses James and has another 45-point game at home. Cleveland is on a four game winning streak and has won six of its last seven games and Mitchell has played a key role during that stretch. Since Mitchell has joined Cleveland, the team has been one of the most consistent teams in the Eastern Conference.
After Mitchell’s 45-point game against Orlando, Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson spoke on Mitchell’s overall performance this season.“It’s him understanding the team dynamics. What we need from him. What we need from him in the moment,” Atkinson said. “Tonight, he needed to get 45 or we probably don’t win. I don’t watch every other team, but I can’t imagine he’s not a top 3 player in this league. He’s not in the MVP conversation. Kind of mind boggling to me. I don’t know why. He’s having an incredible year.”
Donovan Mitchell Joining LeBron James
One thing Mitchell knows how to do well is score. Throughout the course of his career he has developed into an elite scorer. In his first season with the Cavaliers, Mitchell averaged 28.3 points while shooting 48 percent from the field. Over the course of his career, he has shot over 40 percent each season. When Mitchell has the ball in his hands, you better believe he will find a way to score.
Cleveland had another player who knew how to score during his time there and that was LeBron James. James, the all-time points leader in NBA history established himself as an all-time great during his time in Cleveland, helping the franchise win an NBA title. During his time with the Cavaliers, he scored a total of 23, 119 points.
Mitchell can say that he and James are tied in a specific stat that no other player in Cavaliers’ history is a part of.
Donovan Mitchell Continues to Establish Himself as an Elite Player
Mitchell is in his ninth NBA season and continues to get better and better. He has also gained a lot of playoff experience as well. Mitchell has played in the postseason every year he’s been in the league. So he knows what it takes to play past the regular season and make a playoff push.
After Cleveland’s victory over Orlando, Mitchell talked about his role on the team and how he was able to make an impact on the game.“It’s part of my job as the leader to be aggressive and set the tone. They came out and punched first and I felt like it was my job to go out there and respond,” he said. “And I found myself knocking some threes down and the ball was going in. Some nights it’s not going to be like that; if they’re blitzing me, try to find guys and get guys going. But tonight, it was seeing what looks I had (in Saturday’s game in Orlando) and I was able to get to my spots (tonight), and the ball was going in.”
Mitchell has put together an impressive career and he’ll continue to go out and show why he’s one of the best in the game.