Anonymous rival scout questions Donovan Mitchell's playoff prowess - "We'll see if he's that guy or not"
Donovan Mitchell is having arguably the best season of his career in his first year as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The four-time All-Star is averaging a career-high 27.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.5 spg and 0.4 bpg. Mitchell is shooting a career-high 47.7% from the field, 37.9% from 3-point range and 87.3% from the free-throw line, also the best mark of his career.
Despite his strong performance, which could land him on an All-NBA Team for the first time in his career, one Eastern Conference scout needs to see how Donovan Mitchell performs in the 2023 postseason before labeling him as 'that guy'. Speaking to ESPN, the anonymous scout stated:
"You get Donovan for the playoffs. We'll see if he's that guy or not."
While the 46-28 Cleveland Cavaliers appear destined to finish as the Eastern Conference's fourth seed, there are questions about their ceiling. Cleveland has had the NBA's top-ranked defense, leading the league in both opponents points per game and defensive rating.
They have struggled to score, however. While their offensive rating ranks ninth in the league, the Cavaliers rank just 24th in points per game. While great defense always translates to postseason success, the Cavaliers will need to be able to score at a better clip than a bottom-ten offense if they want to seriously contend.
How has Donovan Mitchell performed in the postseason?
After making the postseason in each of his five seasons as a member of the Utah Jazz, Donovan Mitchell will once again appear in the playoffs in his first season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Through 39 career playoff games, Mitchell has averaged 28.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.2 spg and 0.3 bpg. He has shot 43.1% from the field, 36.9% from 3-point range and 86.5% from the free-throw line.
While Mitchell has had tremendous success, he struggled in his most recent trip to the playoffs last season. While he averaged 25.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5.7 apg, 0.7 spg and 0.5 bpg, the four-time All-Star struggled tremendously with efficiency. He shot just 39.8% from the field, 20.8% from 3-point range and 88.1% from the free-throw line.
The Cavaliers star proved that he is capable of thriving in the postseason in 2019-2020, however, when he averaged 36.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.9 apg, 1.0 spg and 0.3 bpg while shooting a ridiculous 52.9% from the field, 51.6% from 3-point range and 94.8% from the free-throw line. While Donovan Mitchell has not advanced past the second round, his performance seemingly rises in the postseason.