Donovan Mitchell isn’t buying into the noise around Cleveland’s uneven start. The Cavaliers are 6-6, and the results have already swung from a double-digit loss in Charlotte on Monday to a win over the defending champions on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. For Mitchell, that kind of week doesn’t change the bigger picture.
“There’s a lot of belief in this group,” Mitchell said. “And the way that we have been able to battle through some adversity and continue to get better and better.”
The questions around Cleveland are easy to see. The starting group includes two high-usage guards in Mitchell and James Harden, plus two defense-first bigs in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
That combination has left people wondering how high the ceiling really is. The Cavs also carry the weight of recent playoff frustration since Mitchell arrived in 2022, and even last season’s trip to the conference finals ended with a sweep at the hands of New York.
Mitchell, though, made his own statement this summer by committing long term. He signed a four-year, $273MM extension, passing on the chance to wait another year and potentially add another $80MM. He has made it clear he wants to remain in Cleveland, and he wanted to avoid contract talk hanging over the team this season.
“When doubt lingers in an organization, it’s not great,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Everybody’s just unsettled.
So, the fact that Don locked it up, that was huge. It’s like a sigh of relief.
You know you’re going to have your leader and it’s going to give you stability. It helps you just move forward quicker.”
Harden delivered one of the loudest individual performances of the week in that win at New York, pouring in 32 points for his highest scoring game of the season. Joe Vardon of The Athletic noted that Harden said he’s still adjusting after arriving in Cleveland in a February trade.
“I’m still trying to figure it out,” he said. “I think it’s my 18th year, so my name is James Harden.
I used to score a lot of points. Now I still score points, but I’m finding other ways to impact the game as well.
And I think that’s what people probably don’t understand.”
Elsewhere in the Central Division, Cade Cunningham authored a night that barely sounds real. The Pistons guard put up 52 points, 11 assists and zero turnovers in Thursday’s double-overtime win at Washington. ESPN reported that Cunningham is the first player since at least 1978 to post 50 points and 10 assists in a game without a turnover.
“It was the best I’ve ever done it in my NBA career for sure,” Cunningham said.
And in Indiana, Pacers center Ivica Zubac is still working on a three-point shot he wants to add to his game, but he’s not ready to bring it into live action yet.
“I don’t want to put a timeline on it,” he said. “I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but we work on it pretty much every day.
I’m feeling a little more comfortable and comfortable, but still not quite comfortable enough to take them in a game. I think reps and working on it every day is going to help.
My confidence is better.”
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The Cavaliers brought James Harden back on a three-year, $97 million deal after their run to the Eastern Conference Finals, betting that his shot creation and playoff pedigree would help keep them in the conferences top tier. Instead, the early portion of the 2026-27 season has been choppier than expected, with Harden still producing offense but not at the level Cleveland envisioned when it committed that kind of money in the offseason.
Through 12 games, the fit has already become a talking point as Harden has struggled to find the same efficiency and consistency that made the move look so appealing in the first place. Cleveland sits at 6-6 and sixth in the East, which is hardly a disaster this early, but it is enough to make the Harden decision feel like one the Cavaliers will be asked about until he starts looking more like the player they paid for. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Suddenly Have A Sam Merrill Decision Fans Didn't Expect
Sam Merrill has quietly become one of the more useful two-way pieces on Clevelands roster, the kind of wing who can help in a lot of small but important ways when the Cavaliers are trying to round out a rotation. Even with the depth the team has at that spot, Merrills rise has made him more than just a fill-in option, and that has created a real decision point for a front office that has to balance present value with future flexibility.
The complication is that Merrill is still working through an elbow injury that has affected his shooting, which makes the timing of any evaluation tricky. Cleveland would like to see his performance rebound as he gets healthier, but interest from other teams has only sharpened the question of whether the Cavaliers should hold onto him or explore moving him while his market remains active. [Read more 🡒]
Why Mark Price Still Means So Much To Cavaliers Fans
The Cavaliers have long kept Mark Price in a special place in their history, and the franchise made that official on Nov. 13, 1999, when it retired his No. 25 jersey during halftime of a game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Price became only the sixth player in team history to receive that honor, a reminder of how deeply his steady play and professional approach still resonate with Cleveland fans.
The ceremony carried the kind of old-school weight that fit Price perfectly, with Wayne Embry and Bobby Cremins on hand to speak about his impact. He was also presented with a piece of the old Richfield Coliseum floor, a symbolic touch that tied his Cavaliers legacy to one of the franchises most memorable eras. [Read more 🡒]