Even if it’s an insignificant statistic, which is drowned in the (too) many stats published during almost every NBA night, achieving a performance that LeBron James had never recorded in Cleveland is not nothing.
By scoring 31 and 32 points against Toronto and Chicago, Donovan Mitchell became the first player in Cleveland franchise history to start the regular season with two games over 30 units. Even the “King” had stumbled in this exercise. Inevitably, doing better than the local legend always has its small effect.
“It’s definitely an honor”commented the former Jazz for ESPN. “I am privileged to be able to do this. I hope to continue. »
In addition to the historical aspect for the Cavaliers, his match against Chicago (32 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists) is above all his first victory under his new colors. With 31.5 points on average at 55% success in shooting and 43% at 3-pts, Mitchell succeeds on his debut in Ohio.
“I am especially happy to have won this match”he continues for the Plain Dealer. “The first game was good, but we lost. So there I wanted to achieve this success with the group. It was awesome. My teammates and coaches trust me. It allows me to play in a liberated way and do what I know how to do, without putting too much pressure on myself. »
If the Cavaliers largely won this game (+ 32), there was still some resistance in the third quarter. The Bulls had come back to just nine points and it was Mitchell who was going to give air to JB Bickerstaff’s men, with two baskets before the start of the last act.
“I was just trying to find a way to score a shot. We were static, there was a lot of isolation, we didn’t play collectively. In those moments, that’s what I’m here for. I wanted to bring back the dynamic in our camp. These are moments that can change a game. »
| Donovan Mitchell | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2017-18 | UTH | 79 | 33 | 43.7 | 34.0 | 80.5 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 20.5 |
| 2018-19 | UTH | 77 | 34 | 43.2 | 36.2 | 80.6 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 23.8 |
| 2019-20 | UTH | 69 | 34 | 44.9 | 36.6 | 86.3 | 0.8 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 0.2 | 24.0 |
| 2020-21 | UTH | 53 | 33 | 43.8 | 38.6 | 84.5 | 0.9 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 5.2 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 26.4 |
| 2021-22 | UTH | 67 | 34 | 44.8 | 35.5 | 85.3 | 0.8 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 25.9 |
| 2022-23 | KEY | 1 | 35 | 57.1 | 25.0 | 83.3 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 31.0 |
| Total | 345 | 34 | 44.1 | 36.1 | 83.3 | 0.8 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 23.9 | |
