Donovan Mitchell is concerned about winning with the Cleveland Cavaliers, not his long-term future.
The national media continues to speculate about Donovan Mitchell’s starting position for the next season, even after the NBA trade deadline has passed and players have committed to their teams for the duration of the campaign.
However, these are the facts: the Cleveland Cavaliers are second in the Eastern Conference, and Mitchell is playing at an MVP level while setting numerous career highs.
All of this is related to Mitchell’s stated main goal for the Cavaliers this season, which is winning. When questioned about his future, Mitchell only discussed this in an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andres on Wednesday before their primetime game against the Chicago Bulls.
Mitchell declared with assurance, “I’m focused on winning at the end of the day.”
“At the start of the year, I stated that. What matters most is: How can we win? Of course, whichever circumstance results in victory. That’s kind of been my main concern, and I think that’s what most people have always had as well. Regardless of what I say to you here, Malika, it will always come up, but in the end, we just need to concentrate on what we can control and work as a team to be the best we can be.”
In their swift, five-game series loss to the New York Knicks in the previous year’s playoffs, Cleveland was outmatched. The front office recognized their needs, which is how they signed Georges Niang in the offseason and signed Max Strus.
The Cavaliers are winning right now, which will position them favorably for the postseason this year. But when the regular season ends, that winning needs to keep up.