NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Cleveland Cavaliers are hurting themselves more than helping. Last offseason, they brought in Donovan Mitchell to be the top scorer but what they did not bank on was Mitchell still doing Mitchell things. Meaning, that the Cavs forgot about Evan Mobely and Jarrett Allen.
Mitchell has been a top scorer since entering the league in 2017. And by all accounts, he will remain that way through the prime of his career. The only issue with that is, there will be no team success. Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal have said this countless times regarding the play of Mitchell. It needs to change.
The Cavs have a great starting unit with Mitchell, Darius Galand, Max Strus, Allen, and Evan Mobley. But they are not being utilized correctly.
Look at the main stat. Mitchell averages 27.7 points per game, but he does so on 21.3 shots per game. Garland, when healthy can be an elite PG. He’s averaging 20.7 points and 5.9 assists on 16.1 shots. Then you have the Twin Towers down low.
Allen is averaging 12.8 points per game to go along with 8.3 rebounds and he’s doing that on 7.9 shots per game. Mobley is averaging 16.0 points per game to go with his 7.8 rebounds per game but he’s attempting just 11.8 shots per game.
Imagine how potent they could be if they would just spread the ball around. Allen is not a 20-point-per-night scorer but he can get opposing bigs in foul trouble just off his hustle alone. He needs more shots. The same with Mobley. He’s an athletic big who can put the ball on the floor and create but he’s being wasted while taking snapshots of the Cavs’ backcourt.
What Can The Cleveland Cavaliers Improve On
This is nothing new. It was like that when Mitchell was with the Utah Jazz. While Rudy Gobert is not an offensive force, Mitchell still ignored the presence of the big man down low and did what he wanted on the offensive end. While rumors are churning that Mitchell may be on the move, where would he fit best? A team like the Philadelphia 76ers should stand clear. There is no way Mitchell and Joel Embiid will mesh. Another team he’s been liked to are the New York Knicks who wanted him a season ago before they ended up with Jalen Bronson.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will make the playoffs again this season. There is too much talent on the roster for them not to. However, they will fall victim to another early exit due to their inability to play as a team. Mitchell is a great player but he is not team-oriented.
The pundits will point to the league being guard-heavy but look at the last 5-6 MVP winners. From Giannis to Jokic to Embiid, all bigs who play the majority of their game in the post. While having a great scoring guard is good, a team loaded with talented players in the post is a great luxury to have. The Cleveland Cavaliers, especially Mitchell is used to that, he just doesn’t care.
