Not long after the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the New York Knicks in five games in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, former NBA guard Brandon Jennings questioned whether Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell still belonged as a No. 1 option. At the time, Mitchell was on the heels of an underwhelming playoff series in which he averaged 23.2 points per game and shot just 28.9 percent from 3-point range.
That wasn’t the only time Jennings made comments like that about Mitchell. The former NBA pro developed a view that Mitchell wasn’t built to be the focal point of a championship team.
However, a lot has changed for the Cavs this season, and Jennings’ mind appears to be changing as well. He thinks Mitchell is “proving” that he can be the No. 1 option on a championship team.
“Yes,” Jennings said on whether it’s time to put some respect on the Cavaliers’ name. “… What’d I say, Donovan Mitchell wasn’t a No. 1 option a championship team, and he’s proving it. The team is well put together. Darius Garland, he’s playing crazy. Donovan Mitchell, he might not be having the numbers like a MVP, but his leadership and the way he got his team behind him, I mean, they’re for real.”
Mitchell is averaging 24.2 points per game this season, his lowest scoring average in any one season with the Cavaliers. But he’s still carrying the scoring load, as he’s averaging the most points per game of any player on the team by a decent margin. Garland ranks second on the team with 21.0 per contest.
The fact that Mitchell isn’t scoring the ball as much he did in his first two seasons in Cleveland probably has more to do with the personnel around him than anything else. The Cavaliers have six players on the roster averaging 10-plus points per game, and Cleveland’s strategy of scoring by committee has lightened Mitchell’s workload on offense.
Of all his NBA seasons, Mitchell is currently averaging his fewest minutes and second-fewest shots per game. While he has seen his scoring average take a dip compared to years past, he’s scoring the ball with solid efficiency. He’s shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from 3-point range in his eighth NBA season.
Granted, he didn’t score the ball all that efficiently in his most recent game played for the Cavaliers. He shot 4-of-15 from the field against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. But in a testament to the team’s offensive attack up and down the roster, Cleveland still won the game by double digits.
It should be interesting to see if Mitchell’s usage rate goes up in the 2025 NBA Playoffs compared to the regular season. He’s scoring 28.1 points per contest for his playoff career.