Donovan Mitchell snubs Luka Doncic and co., names two teams best positioned to make Finals next season
Heading into this offseason, Donovan Mitchell was one of the most talked about stars in the NBA. With his contract situation resolved now, the All-Star guard is now laying out predictions for next season.
Earlier this week, Mitchell sat down on the "Millon Dollaz Worth of Game" podcast to discuss a range of topics. Among the things brought up was what teams he thinks are going to make the finals in 2025.
Despite Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks making the finals last season, Donovan Mitchell doesn't have them going back. Instead, he feels the Western Conference is going to be represented by either the OKC Thunder or Minnesota Timberwolves.
“I would say it’s probably gon’ be Minnesota or OKC. I think Minnesota, they some dogs. I think they figured it out too about themselves," Mitchell said. "They made some trades and made some different acquisitions and all that, but they figured it out.
"OKC adding Alex Caruso, I don’t think people really understand what that does for that lineup."
Seeing that these teams were two of the top seeds in the West last season, Mitchell made some strong predictions. Especially in the case of the OKC Thunder. Along with trading for Alex Caruso, they also addressed the center position in free agency by signing Isaiah Hartenstein.
Donovan Mitchell puts together his dream lineup
When he wasn't giving out his NBA predictions, Gillie the Kid and Wallo put Donovan Mitchell through an interesting exercise. He had to build his dream starting lineup, but there were some limitations put on it.
For starters, it could only be players from the 1980s until now. Secondly, there were a handful of players Mitchell wasn't allowed to choose. These were some of the all-time greats, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
Despite not being able to pick these legends, Donovan Mitchell still put together an impressive lineup. He went with Dwyane Wade to share the backcourt with him, followed by Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant at the forward positions. Mitchell rounded things out by putting Shaquille O'Neal at center.
After his lineup was complete, Mitchell joked with Gillie and Wallo that it was an all-office and no-defense lineup.
"We gonna score," Mitchell said. "Straight offense, that's like a 2K lineup."
As for Mitchell, he is getting ready to enter his third season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Over the summer, he signed a $150 million extension to remain with the organization. This officially put all the rumors that he could be traded to bed.
Since joining the Cavaliers, Mitchell has put up some of the best numbers of his career. Last season, he averaged 26.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists.