Where Cavaliers Superstar Sits In Latest MVP Ranking

Donovan Mitchell continues to provide plenty of value for the Cleveland Cavaliers despite his MVP ranking.

Dec 16, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) celebrates after hitting a three point basket during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

One may think that as the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to prove they're championship contenders, Donovan Mitchell would begin to be considered a favorite for MVP this season.

However, Mitchell's status in this race has been stagnant for almost the entire season.

In NBA.com's recent Kia MVP Ladder update, the Cavaliers superstar was ranked No. 8, the same position he was ranked at in their last update just a week ago.

The players who are ahead of Mitchell include Karl-Anthony Towns (New York Knicks), Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks), Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Giannis Atetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Shai Gilgeious-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), and Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets).

This list is very similar to the last one; the only difference is that Wembanyama knocked Doncic out of the top five.

Dec 31, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The narrative around Mitchell's MVP case has been the same for the entire season. He doesn't necessarily have the individual stats to be considered a front-runner for the award, but the Cavaliers' overall team success has kept him in the conversation.

Mitchell is averaging 23.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.7 assists while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from behind the arc. He's also averaging a career-low in minutes, which could be a big factor for the Wine and Gold in the playoffs.

Ironically, the most valuable thing Mitchell has done for the team this year is step back in terms of usage. This has allowed Darius Garland to have a bounce-back season and Evan Mobley to make a massive jump on the offensive end.

Even if Mitchell isn't considered the league MVP this year, the Cavaliers are seeing plenty of team success, which will determine whether this season is a success for Cleveland.