Cleveland Cavaliers
Role Player
Donovan Mitchell’s ‘different approach’ shows that upcoming playoff run could be different for Cavs
Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/4...nt-approach-continues-to-pay-off-for-the-cavs
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Mitchell has proven that he can be more than just a scorer.
Donovan Mitchell keeps his personal goals in his cell phone. One of which is a target for rebounds per game. Whether or not his six boards in the Cleveland Cavaliers' one-sided win over the New York Knicks brought him closer to that goal is unknown. What we do know is that he’s making a concerted effort to be more than just a scorer.
“For years, I always thought you just scored,” Mitchell said after putting up 27 against New York. “I’m not gonna lie. Y’all have seen it in my play at times, especially early in my career. It’s all I knew. This was all new to me. Like, I didn’t expect to be Donovan Mitchell.”
The Cavs have certainly benefited from Mitchell being Donovan Mitchell, as he put it. They traded for him to be the top scorer on this team, and he’s done that in the previous two seasons. However, if they’re going to take the next step and win a championship, he will need to be more than that.
Fortunately for the Cavaliers, that’s showing through on the court.
Rebounding was the emphasis in Sunday’s win against the Los Angeles Clippers. Ivica Zubac beat up Cleveland’s front line with 20 rebounds in Cleveland’s loss on March 18. He was held to just 13 in their most recent meeting. Mitchell’s willingness to hit the glass for 12 boards was a big reason why.
Mitchell’s extra effort plays didn’t show through in rebounds on Wednesday. It was blocks this time as he swatted away a game-high three shots. All of which came when the Cavs were losing and needed energy.
Two of these were the result of an extra rotation to meet the offensive player at the rim. From there, Mitchell just relied on his good hands to pick up the clean blocks.
The other was due to staying in front of OG Anunoby and relying on Evan Mobley’s help defense to give him a window to get his hand on the ball.
Mitchell has always had the tools to be incredibly impactful in areas other than scoring. His 6'10” wingspan combined with his incredible athleticism, strength, and coordination should allow him to excel in these areas. Even though it’s difficult to concentrate on those things when you’ve been in the 99th percentile or higher in offense usage the last five seasons, a lack of focus on the defensive end has repeatedly come back to bite him in the postseason.
This recent resergence as a rebounder, help defender, and someone who can create turnovers (in the 60th percentile in the steals percentage) speaks to his willingness to change that narrative.
“He’s leading it,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said when asked about Mitchell doing the little things. “He backs it up. He’s on the guys in the huddle, and there’s no question who our leader is. He’s leading by example right now, doing the dirty work.”
There’s an odd paradox in playoff basketball. Teams can only go as far as their best player takes them, while simultaneously, they’re also only as good as their weakest link or skill on either end. Series are often decided by who can better expose their opponent’s weakness.
Mitchell is helping in both areas. He’s making a conscious effort to reinforce some of Cleveland’s weaknesses while leading by example with the extra-effort plays in a way that’s easier to talk about doing than actually backing up.
The Cavs will need Mitchell’s scoring in the playoffs. They aren’t going to get past the Boston Celtics in a potential series unless Mitchell is scoring at an incredibly high level. That is still most important.
But succeeding in the postseason is also about winning on the margins. Consistent extra-effort plays, like the ones Mitchell has made recently, exponentially increase the Cavs' margin for error.
Mitchell seems to know and understand this in a way he didn’t in previous years. That, more than anything, is why you should buy into things going differently for Mitchell this spring.
“It’s a different approach,” Mitchell said. “It’s a different view on certain things, and that’s ultimately what a leader, and what a guy like myself, should do. Finding ways to impact winning. ... How do I continue to help the team? Because when you help the team and we win, everything else kind of falls into place.”
Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/4...nt-approach-continues-to-pay-off-for-the-cavs
