Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell is among the upper echelon of players in the league, this is a fact. But where does Mitchell rank when compared to the rest of the league’s shooting guards? Is he in the Top 5? That answer appears to be yes.
Frank Urbina from HoopsHype places the Cavs’ guard as the third-best in the NBA. Ahead of Mitchell on this list are Anthony Edwards (second) and Devin Booker (first). This is not exactly anything to get worked up about as both are deserving of their respective positions. Urbina was both complimentary, noting his fourth straight All-Star appearance and earning second-team All-NBA honors. But there is some criticism about how the Cavs’ playoff run came to an end.
“The Cavaliers overall had a good regular season, going 51-31 and making the playoffs as the East’s No. 4 seed, but were unceremoniously eliminated in five games by the New York Knicks in round one at least in part due to Mitchell’s shot-chucking style of play going cold in the postseason.“
Frank Urbina on Donovan Mitchell
Urbina made sure to mention that Donovan Mitchell has played better in previous postseasons and that should be the expectation moving forward. Going into full panic mode about Cleveland’s postseason exit was always a foolish endeavor. The Cavaliers were clearly outmatched and received a physical beatdown as Mitchell’s teammate Darius Garland noted previously. Additionally, the Cavs did not have a proper supporting cast last year and the hope is their issues have been rectified.
It will be tough for Donovan Mitchell to move up this list given that Edwards and Booker are two of the best players in the league, much less their position. Although holding steady is more than acceptable given Mitchell’s current spot on this list. As long as Mitchell is able to play at the same level it should bode well for the Cavaliers moving forward.
