Donovan Mitchell On Cavs' Bumpy Start: 'Gotta Figure This Sh** Out'

Ten games into the 2023-24 campaign, it's time for the Cleveland Cavaliers to buck up, according to their leading superstar Donovan Mitchell.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a 4-6 start to the 2023-24 season with a multitude of questions around who they are as a team and where they will go. 

To this point, the Cavs have yet to put together back-to-back wins. There have been flashes of an exciting, faster-paced offense, but the defensive side of the ball has had its inconsistencies to put it lightly. 

On top of that, the team has had to try incorporating new pieces with the challenge of players being on and off the injury report. (Add Darius Garland back to the list for the road-trip finale in Portland.) 

However, even when near full strength, the results have not looked the best — or at least, stable. Ten games into the campaign, it's time for Cleveland to buck up, according to its leading superstar.

“I said come to me after Game 10. Well, this was Game 10. Gotta figure this sh** out,” Donovan Mitchell said via Cleveland.com after a disappointing loss in Sacramento. “I think the biggest thing now is finding a level of consistency. It’s not just offense. It’s not just defense. Just find a level of consistency. It’s on us. No one is doing anything special. It’s on us. Have to find a way to do it…

“We can’t say we want to be the team we want to be and come out and pick our nights. That’s 1-15,” Mitchell continued. “I’m not playing well on this trip. I hold myself to a high standard. I can be better. Put us in a better position if I start making shots and playing better as a whole. I put that on me. I will be better.”

Nov 13, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) dribbles the ball against the Sacramento Kings in the second quarter at the Golden 1 Center / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Mitchell hardly has to place blame on himself, especially considering the way he came out of the gates and kept the Cavs afloat in the first week-and-a-half. Though he has had a rougher road trip on the offensive side of the ball by his standards, Mitchell is still averaging 21.0 points, 5.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals over those three games. 

It hasn't been efficient by any means (33.3% on over 22 shots attempted per contest), but he isn't turning the ball over and he's stayed locked in on defending. Plus, offense isn't where Cleveland is having its frustrations the most with at this point. Heck, it's not even just about defense either.

It's about stability in night-to-night effort and commitment.