When the story of the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ first playoff berth since 2018 is told many years from now, one player will likely feature prominently: Donovan Mitchell.
When the Cavaliers traded for Mitchell this summer, Cleveland landed a rising star with years of playoff experience, the latter of which eluded most of the Cavs’ young core. And the former Louisville Cardinal has excelled since coming to Lake Erie, notching career-highs in points and shooting.
And Mitchell’s presence in the locker room cannot be overstated. With the departure of Kevin Love, Mitchell now is the playoff-tested elder statesperson of the team. And for younger like Darius Garland, Lamar Stevens, and Evan Mobley, his impact has been powerful.
“Yeah, he’s meant a lot to me, for sure,” Stevens told reporters, per the Cavaliers’ official YouTube channel. “I hadn’t had the opportunity to play with like, a superstar in his prime. We have up-and-coming superstars in Darius (Garland) and Evan (Mobley), and I think Froze (Isaac Okoro) is an up-and-coming superstar, too. Just having his knowledge of the game, his experience in the playoffs, and just his belief in me has meant a lot to me, just in my confidence and just believing that I can do certain things, so I think he’s been great for everybody, just his knowledge and success that he’s had in the league preparing us for the playoffs. So just having that knowledge and being able to pass it down and being a young guy who is still super easily relatable to everybody has been great. He’s really uplifted the team and everyone around him.”
Mitchell will be called upon once again on Friday against the New York Knicks in what could be a preview of Cleveland’s first-round playoff matchup.
Darius Garland Calls Out Knicks’ Josh Hart
If the season ended today, the Cavaliers and Knicks would be slated for an exciting first-round showdown.
The narratives are obvious: the Knicks were thought to be Mitchell’s summer destination before the Cavs stepped in; two defensive-minded head coaches in Tom Thibodeau and JB Bickerstaff; a sizzling guards-matchup between Garland and Jalen Brunson.
And while the Cavs opted against strengthening at the trade deadline for the playoffs, the Knicks waded into the trade waters for Josh Hart.
“He’s just an energy guy,” Garland said of Hart, per the Cavaliers’ official YouTube channel. “Plays all 48 minutes really hard and he’s very unpredictable. I mean, one day he can get it going and the other day he’s just like a defensive stopper. I mean, he’s a really good player, though.”
Hart’s excelled with the Knicks since reuniting with his former Villanova running mate Brunson in New York. His pesky defense could pose serious problems for Cavs guards come playoff time.
Cavaliers Hoping to Avoid Knicks in First Round
That might be a reason why the Cavaliers are hoping for a different first-round opponent, per Chris Fedor of cleveland.com.
“No one inside the organization would say this publicly — and they shouldn’t. But multiple people I’ve spoken to recently are privately hoping for a Brooklyn (Nets) matchup,” Fedor reported.
Fedor cited the Nets’ trade deadline rebuild as a major catalyst for Cleveland’s interest.
“Brooklyn was 32-20 at the time it dealt Kyrie Irving — a move that preceded Kevin Durant’s departure. While the Nets haven’t completely imploded since those two megadeals, their organizational ceiling has lowered considerably, and they no longer pose the same challenge in a seven-game series. The last time they looked — and consistently played — like a playoff-caliber team was when Irving and Durant were both there. The Nets are 7-11 over the last month-plus without those two superstars. They also have the most inexperienced coach of the potential first-round foes,” Fedor completed.
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Donovan Mitchell Sent Message by Lamar Stevens Ahead of Cavs-Knicks Matchup