The thing that is often forgotten about the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 64-win season from last year is the fact that Donovan Mitchell took a step back to let his co-stars in Darius Garland and Evan Mobley take a step forward.
The idea behind it was to make sure Mitchell was fresher for the playoffs and to make the team less reliant on him and his dynamic scoring ability. It worked for the regular season, but it broke down because of Cleveland’s injuries and Mitchell battling lower leg issues.
This season though, Mitchell has not had the luxury of taking a step back.