In the ‘even spot’ of his career, Donovan Mitchell should be in the conversation for NBA MVP

Donovan Mitchell on Sunday once again justified his reputation, as he wanted Cleveland Cavaliers to a 120-105 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers to snap a six-game homestand at Rocket Arena Rematch of Kawhi Leonard. Whether it was going downhill, hitting his usual three-pointers in left drifts off the dribble, or dazzling with his vision, Mitchell gave the Clippers everything they could (or couldn’t).

Mitchell finished with 37 points on 14 of 22 from the field, knocking down five of nine 3-pointers. He also added eight rebounds, six assists and a steal, turning the ball over just twice. It’s the 10th time this season that Mitchell has scored at least 30 points, and the fifth time in the last six contests.

Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson called it “crazy,” grinning and shaking his head in admiration: “Does anyone, any guard, play as well as he does in the league?”

It’s not Mitchell’s points that stand out to Atkinson in Cleveland’s latest win. Instead, it was his passing moves, including multiple matchups with Evan Mobley and 13 potential assists.

“He’s just in a great spot,” Atkinson said. “Great, great poise. He’s got great control of the game. He’s in this kind of money in his career. He just has control of everything, and then, just great on the bench in terms of leadership.”

For the man himself, Mitchell just tries to do a little bit of everything. With Jarrett Allen out, he especially knows he has to help battle the boards, which will help start fast breaks and not allow opponents to tie the game. His assists will come naturally as a product of taking what the defense gives him.

“For me, this is who I am, and I just have to continue to do it consistently and do whatever it takes for me to win the game,” Mitchell said.

“That’s the Don I’m used to seeing,” De’Andre Hunter added. “Having been on another team before, watching other guys in the league, he’s one of the guys you’d see almost every night with some spectacular plays or some scoring.”

Clippers big man Ivica Zubac broke wine and gold inside, hitting jump hook after jump hook to the point where the Clippers cut it to one point late in the third quarter. So Mitchell took matters into his own hands, catching Tyrese Proctor’s inbound pass on a layup block left on the baseline, plus a foul. On the next possession, he drove into John Collins and finished another one-and-one high off the glass. With the clock ticking down to under a minute, he punched through the transition plate.

Mitchell finished the frame with a zip pass to Evan Mobley for a dunk as time expired, giving Cleveland a 13-point lead in the fourth. He even had a defensive possession where he dropped an inbounds pass for help as a defensive back with Zubac in the low post.

Such consistency and stat-list filling suggests that Mitchell is playing the most complete basketball of his career. Danni Cunningham of The Inside Shot asked him if that was the case after Sunday’s game.

“I think so,” Mitchell said. “I felt like I was fit early on, but I also realized that you’re at a different point in your career where you look at things differently. You understand the guys around you, you understand what’s going on, you read, and obviously, when it comes to scoring, I feel like I’m at my best right now, efficiency-wise.”

“But I mean, yeah, just as a complete player… I think the only thing I’m complaining about is the turnovers. It’s just because I’m trying to get better as a playmaker. I say that every year, but turning those players off would be great. But overall I think I am, and I just have to be consistent all year.”

Earlier this month, backfield partner and fellow All-Star running back Darius Garland opened up after Mitchell dropped 46 points, eight assists and four rebounds against the Philadelphia 76ers. It was a characteristic game, with 15 of 21 field goals, but there were hardly any surprises.

“The Speed ​​we know, the MVP we know, the All-NBA first team we know he should be every year,” Garland said. “It was good to see him, and that. We really need that going forward, and he’s starting to realize that. But he also wants us to do our thing. So with Don, it’s a give and take thing, but we really need Don to be Don.”

At the very least, Donovan Mitchell should be in the NBA MVP conversation

Cleveland’s loss to the Indiana Pacers in the postseason opened Mitchell’s eyes. While he has to put the ball in the basket, it’s also about getting guys in the right places at the right time, especially in an evolving NBA where the pace increases from game to game.

“It kind of prepared me to come in here and say, ‘OK, even though they’re pressuring you, it’s not always downhill to attack. It’s downhill to create and then jump the pass,'” Mitchell explained. “Either, ‘Pass the ball forward,’ or, ‘Okay, you’ve got to improve your catching and shooting because if you’re not shooting it, now you’re hitting the crowd.’ Plays out of the post in certain situations. Shoot more at your mid rangers. Like, be efficient at everything.

“That’s what last year’s playoffs really taught me. It’s like, if you have to keep driving full court every single possessionyou will get tired, you will not be efficient. And I don’t just mean scoring; I mean just generally as a basketball player. So I think for me, it’s just finding different ways to score, different ways to be a threat, and then that opens up everything else.”

With Sunday’s NBA roster complete, Mitchell ranks fifth in the NBA with 30.8 points per game, trailing only Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Giljus-Alexander, Tyrese Maxey and Luka Doncic. His 65.6% shooting percentage is in the top 10 in the league and, according to Basketball Reference, Mitchell also has a 7.1 box plus-minus.

While it’s easy to take high-scoring performances for granted with so much talent scattered around, this deserves attention for the positive impact it has on the Cavs. Without Mitchell on the floor, Cleveland’s offensive rating is down 11.6 and its effective field goal percentage is 6.6% worse, according to Cleaning The Glass.

Things are becomes less awkward now that Garland is back in the game at point guard; however, the wine and gold depended on the 29-year-old to save them a ton.

“We still have to figure some things out. We can’t have Donovan be our savior all the time, but once the guys come back, we’ll be better,” Atkinson said.

There is healthy competition for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, and we’re not even close to determining the winner of that race, with plenty of months ahead of us.

But Mitchell forces his way into the conversation.