Donovan Mitchell is doing exactly what the Cavaliers brought him in to do - and then some. Through the early part of the season, he's putting up 30.7 points per game on 49.4% shooting from the field and 38.1% from deep, while also contributing 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds a night.
That’s elite-level production from a player squarely in his prime. But here’s the problem: the Cavaliers are 15-11 and slipping.
This isn’t about Mitchell underperforming. If anything, he’s overdelivered. The issue is everything around him.
Cleveland paid a steep price to get Mitchell, and based on his individual play, it was a justifiable move. He's been as advertised - a dynamic scorer who can take over games and elevate a team’s ceiling.
But four seasons into this partnership, the Cavaliers have yet to take a meaningful step forward. And this year, they’re off to their worst start since Mitchell arrived.
Now, yes - injuries have hit. Evan Mobley and Max Strus were out in their most recent game.
But that game was against the Charlotte Hornets, at home, without LaMelo Ball on the other side. That’s a game you have to win if you’re serious about contending.
Instead, Cleveland lost in overtime - a result that feels like more than just a blip. It feels like a red flag.
It’s fair to wonder how much longer Mitchell will wait for things to click in Cleveland. Remember, it only took five years in Utah before he decided it was time to move on.
And that Jazz team, while flawed, was regularly in the playoff mix. If the Cavaliers keep spinning their wheels, how long before Mitchell starts thinking about his next move?
The core of this team - Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen - is solid. But solid doesn’t win titles.
Not in this league. And not when your best player is already playing at an All-NBA level.
Mitchell’s not the problem. The question is whether the rest of the roster is good enough to win with him.
Right now, the answer looks like a no.
The challenge for Cleveland is that they don’t have much flexibility. The Mitchell trade drained them of assets, and they’re not exactly sitting on a treasure trove of trade chips. They have some quality players, but turning “good” into “great” is one of the hardest things to do in the NBA, especially without draft capital or cap space to work with.
If they keep running it back with the same group, the clock on Mitchell’s patience is going to keep ticking. And if he does decide to move on - just like he did in Utah - it could be a game-changer for the Jazz, who still hold some of Cleveland’s future draft picks.
There’s only so long you can keep telling yourself that continuity will solve everything. At some point, you have to shake things up. And if any franchise knows what happens when you wait too long to do that, it’s the Utah Jazz.
The Cavaliers are at a crossroads. Mitchell is doing his part.
But if Cleveland wants to keep him - and truly compete - they’re going to have to figure out a way to raise the ceiling. Because right now, the floor is starting to crack.