“Accolade-based world we live in” – Donovan Mitchell on how viewing himself as Top 10-15 player won’t matter without conference finals on his resume

Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell has established himself as one of the NBA’s premier shooting guards over his first seven seasons. However, according to the five-time All-Star, his limited playoff success prevents him from getting the respect he deserves.

Ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season, CBS Sports and HoopsHype released their respective Top 100 player rankings. CBS Sports placed Mitchell 19th, while HoopsHype positioned him 17th.

On a soon-to-be-released episode of “7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony & Kid Mero,” Mitchell weighed in on his standing in the league’s hierarchy. He noted that there is a stark contrast between how he and NBA pundits view his career due to his lack of a conference finals appearance.

“Realistically, I look at myself as one of the Top 10, Top 15 players in this league, but I haven’t made it to a conference finals,” Mitchell said. “So, in order for me to make that jump, I can sit here and get mad and use it as fuel, but I can’t get mad at the list ’cause it’s an accolade-based world we live in, whether it’s right, wrong or indifferent.”
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Mitchell has made the postseason in each of his first seven campaigns, advancing to the second round three times. That includes a 4-1 Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the Boston Celtics last season.

However, the 2023 All-NBA second team selectee has yet to get over the hump. The closest he came to a conference finals berth was as a member of the Utah Jazz in the 2021 Western Conference semifinals. Utah took a 2-0 series lead over the LA Clippers before dropping the next four contests en route to a 4-2 second-round defeat.

So, entering Year 8, Mitchell still has to prove to his doubters he can be the primary scoring option on a legitimate championship contender.

Also Read: Donovan Mitchell snubs Luka Doncic and Co., names two teams best positioned to make Finals next season

Cavaliers appear confident in Donovan Mitchell as franchise player despite playoff shortcomings

While some are still skeptical about Donovan Mitchell being a bona fide leading man, Cleveland appears confident in its franchise player.

In early July, the organization signed Mitchell to a three-year, $150.3 million maximum contract extension. The deal locked him up until at least the end of the 2026-27 season, with a player option for the 2027-28 campaign.

Thus, Mitchell should have at least three or four more years to try to lead the Cavaliers to their first East finals appearance since 2018.

Over 55 games last season, Mitchell averaged 26.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 3.3 3-pointers per game, shooting 46.2% and 36.8% from deep.