The Cleveland Cavaliers are searching for answers after a frustrating home loss to the Charlotte Hornets - and their star player isn’t shying away from accountability.
Cleveland fell 119-111 in overtime on Sunday, but it wasn’t just the loss that stung - it was how it happened. The Cavs were outscored 8-0 in the extra period, becoming the first team in a decade to be held scoreless in overtime. That’s not just rare - that’s historic in all the wrong ways.
Donovan Mitchell, the face of the franchise and the engine behind Cleveland’s offense, took the brunt of the responsibility postgame. “Put this one on me,” he told reporters - a short but powerful statement from a player who knows the weight he carries.
And to be fair, Mitchell had a night he’ll want to forget. He finished with 17 points on 6-of-24 shooting, including a rough 1-for-11 from deep.
His -12 plus-minus was the worst on the team. For a player who’s been electric all season - averaging 31.3 points and 5.4 assists while shooting 50% from the field and 39% from three - this performance was an outlier, and a costly one.
What’s more concerning, though, is that this loss wasn’t just a blip. The Cavaliers have stumbled out of the gate this season, a surprising development for a squad that finished atop the Eastern Conference standings just last year. Expectations were sky-high heading into this campaign, and so far, Cleveland hasn’t looked like the contender many expected.
Mitchell’s leadership, both on and off the floor, will be critical as the team tries to right the ship. Owning a tough loss like this - especially when the numbers back up the criticism - is part of that process.
But the Cavaliers need more than postgame accountability. They need execution, consistency, and a return to the defensive identity that made them such a tough out last season.
The calendar is about to flip, and with it comes a chance to reset. The talent is there.
The experience is there. But if Cleveland wants to be taken seriously in the East again, performances like Sunday’s - especially the scoreless overtime - can’t become a trend.
Mitchell knows that. Now the rest of the roster has to follow his lead.