Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell Spotlights Teammates For Recent Success

The star Cleveland guard commended his teammates' recent efforts in his postgame press conference this past Monday night.

For over a month, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been the best team in the NBA.

Their 15-4 record since December 16 ranks first in the league. The Wine and Gold have also been outscoring opponents by a league-best 10.5 points per game in this span.

While star Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell ranks top-10 in the NBA this season in both scoring (27.7 PPG, seventh) and steals per game (1.9, third), he has been far from the only reason for the team’s recent success.

After Cleveland’s 118-108 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers two nights ago, the four-time reigning NBA All-Star relayed this message during his postgame press conference.

“I feel like the easy thing to point to is, ‘Oh, the Cavs are winning because of Donovan.’ That’s not the case. I think that’s the easy thing for people to say who don’t watch us play. You look at [it], on a night-to-night basis. Sam Merrill, been phenomenal. Craig Porter [Jr.], been phenomenal. Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro. It’s not just myself. It’s not just [Darius Garland], it’s not just [Evan Mobley].”

Jan 29, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the second half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse / © Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

When he was traded to the Wine and Gold just before the start of last season, Mitchell immediately took on a leadership role.

He put this role into action this past Monday night by giving his teammates the recognition he feels they deserve.

“There’s so many guys that make up what we’ve been able to do. And I think for me, it’s important as a leader because I feel like [a lot of people listen to] what I say, and I think it’s something that’ll get talked about. And I think they deserve to be talked about. They’ve put the work in, they put the time in, and they’re showing it on a consistent basis.”