Donovan Mitchell is under more scrutiny than ever before.
Outside of a 39-point second half in Game 4 and an all-around awesome Game 7, Mitchell had what can be considered a subpar series against the Pistons. The same can be said about his first round against Toronto. It’s not that he was playing objectively poorly, because he definitely wasn’t. He averaged 28.1 points versus Detroit. He just fell noticeably short of his lofty standards.
Mitchell has been widely considered one of the biggest playoff risers in the league for years. His postseason resume is littered with stretches of fantastic individual play. As a rookie in 2018, he posted 28.5 PPG in his very first playoff series, which Utah won. In the bubble in 2020, he put on his iconic 36.3 PPG masterclass against Denver. Every year, Mitchell has moments of brilliance when it matters most. He hasn’t earned the wins to match his reputation, but he’s managed to largely avoid criticism because it’s been tough to say he hasn’t done everything he could. Until now, that is.
But, even though he hasn’t been going nuclear, Cleveland is still finding success. Mitchell has advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time in his career despite his relatively underwhelming performance.
The correlation between Mitchell’s “struggles” and the deepest run he’s ever made is fascinating. Looking at that and his career as a whole raises the question: what does it really mean to be a playoff riser?
Ultimately, it boils down to two things: adaptability and mentality.
Elevating your game under the brightest lights isn’t about scoring a billion points or “carrying” your team. It’s not even really about anything tangible, or, at least, not something that applies to every player. Rather, it’s about the mental approach. It’s knowing what your team needs you to do to win and doing it at the highest level.
Game 7 against Detroit was Mitchell’s best outing of the playoffs so far, even though he scored “only” 26 points. Why? He played an entirely different brand of basketball than he had been playing, fulfilling what Cleveland needed from him. Instead of hunting mismatches in iso and settling for tough jumpers, he was laser-focused in pressuring the rim and making plays for others, not just himself. As a result, he dished out eight assists and finished with a +17 plus/minus while the Cavs won by 31 on the road.
Mitchell realized that he could impact the game not by scoring as many highlight buckets as possible, but by being a playmaker and seeking out easier looks when they came to him. That’s an example of the adaptability and mentality it takes to win a championship in the NBA.
In the Conference Finals (and beyond, if he makes it), Mitchell will hopefully carry over this mindset. If he can identify how he can help the Cavaliers beat this Knicks team and execute, he’ll find himself in the Finals. And if that happens, he’ll have the mantle of playoff riser cemented on him for life.
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