Recipient of the Chuck Daly prize last June, Mike Fratello is one of the most respected coaches, and he has been a TV consultant for several years. As a former Cavaliers coach, he was asked about his former franchise’s choice to recruit Donovan Mitchell. For him, who knows what it is to coach a team from a small market, it is essential to position himself on this type of player.
” Mitchell is one of five or six players who can plant 50 points in a playoff game. It’s important to have a player like that.” he explains to the Plain Dealer. “Initially, we think that Cleveland lost a lot to recover this young man, but the NBA does not value draft picks as much as before. We need a player capable of putting you a basket at a hot moment of a match. He is capable of it. He is explosive, and he will even get better. “
For several seasons, Mike Fratello commentated Clippers games, and he saw Donovan Mitchell a lot.
For him, the Garland-Mitchell tandem can be the equivalent of the Thomas-Dumars duo. We forget it but Donovan Mitchell is only 1m85 tall. It’s small for a second back, and it can complicate things against taller backs. ” But he’s got volume and he’s tough retorts Mike Fratello.
For the record, since 1998, the Cavs have only made the playoffs when LeBron James was in the squad. The last time they reached the playoffs without the “King”, their coach was called… Mike Fratello.
| 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 |
| 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 | |
