Cavaliers Superstar Finding New Ways To Help Team Despite Struggles

Donovan Mitchell stresses he needs to find different ways to help the Cleveland Cavaliers when his shot won't fall.

Oct 26, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) dribbles the ball against Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) during the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Donovan Mitchell has always been known for his scoring capability. His ability to score a bucket at a moment's notice is one of the reasons he's considered one of the best shooting guards in the NBA.

However, sometimes players go through tough shooting stretches, and that's exactly what the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar is facing right now.

Mitchell only scored 12 points while shooting 21 percent (5-for-23) from the floor and 20 percent (2-for-10) from behind the arc in their loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday afternoon. He's also shooting just 38 percent from the floor and 31 percent from three over the last four games.

Despite these shooting struggles, Mitchell knows he needs to find different ways to impact the game.

"I could go 22-for-22, I could go 0-for-22. The biggest thing is how do I impact the game in different ways," said Mitchell. "[On Friday], you don't really shoot well; how can I get on the boards? Can I get assists? Can I try to be in the passing lanes? Can I try to do different things?"

"Just continuing to take it game by game and not really overreacting. Just continuing to go out there and play my game. Just stay level-headed because that's what my team needs from me."

Nov 29, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots the ball against Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images / Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

To Mitchell's credit, he did find different ways to make his presence known against the Hawks, even though his shot wouldn't fall. The shooting guard finished with 11 rebounds (his second-most in a game this season) and dished out six assists.

This was something that even Cleveland's head coach noticed following the game.

"He's a great leader. Most guys get frustrated when they have a bad shooting night. He just keeps that same demeanor. I love that about him," said Kenny Atkinson.

Mitchell knows he needs to be better, but he's not going to let just one game affect his overall mindset. The Cavaliers have a big game coming up against the Boston Celtics on Sunday evening, and everybody knows Spida will be ready for it.