Donovan Mitchell’s offense has never been the issue. The problem, and it’s a real one for Cleveland, is what happens when the ball swings to the other end of the floor.
Mitchell came into the league with Dwyane Wade comparisons for a reason. Both were undersized shooting guards who could knife their way to the rim, and Mitchell’s package of crafty footwork and euro-steps made that comparison feel easy early on.
He’s also been the better three-point shooter. But there was always one major separation between the two: defense.
Wade built his reputation on that side of the court, and as the source notes, he’s probably the greatest shot-blocking guard in NBA history. Mitchell, two inches shorter, has never been close to that level, and after nine seasons, he probably isn’t going to get there.
That matters more now because Mitchell is heading into his 10th year in the league, and his size is what it is. He can add muscle or trim down, but he’s not growing.
That leaves him vulnerable, especially when he’s asked to guard opposing point guards. In theory, that shouldn’t be a fatal issue.
In practice, it turns him into a target. Teams want the switch, they want the isolation, and they want to attack him one-on-one.
That kind of hunt only gets sharper in the playoffs.
Cleveland’s current setup makes the problem even louder. The Cavaliers have a point guard-sized shooting guard who can’t defend point guards, and they’ve paired him with James Harden, a jumbo guard who can’t defend anyone. That’s the kind of backcourt combination that can unravel fast in a seven-game series.
The source points to what happened last season against the New York Knicks, when they kept going at Harden and Kenny Atkison, for inexplicable reasons, simply refused to make adjustments or even call a time out. Harden took the heat there, and he deserved plenty of it. But Mitchell wouldn’t have changed the picture much.
The numbers back up the concern, too. Mitchell is coming off a career-worst 116 defensive rating and a -0.2 defensive box-plus minus, per Bastkeball Reference.
He’s still a terrific three-level scorer, but players who can overcome real defensive flaws are rare. With all due respect, he’s not Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, or even Jalen Brunson.
That doesn’t mean Cleveland should give up on him. It does mean the Cavaliers have to be smarter about who shares the floor with him.
Putting Mitchell and James Harden in the first unit looks like a ticking time bomb. One possible answer, as the source suggests, is to have Harden come off the bench so Cleveland can keep at least one reliable backcourt defender on the floor at all times.
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