Donovan Mitchell is not just playing great basketball this season. He is playing the best basketball of his entire career, and the league is beginning to feel the tremors of what could be a defining year for the Cleveland Cavaliers star. At twenty nine, Mitchell has stepped into a level of poise and power that blends maturity, experience and an offseason of dedicated work. His performances have been so commanding that he now finds himself not only at the heart of Cleveland’s success but also firmly in the ongoing conversation about elite NBA players in 2025.
This season began with whispers about a new version of Mitchell emerging. Those whispers grew louder when he was named the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for November 17 to 23, after averaging 31.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.3 steals while guiding the Cavaliers to three wins in four games. The distinction made him only the second player in franchise history to win at least six Player of the Week awards, joining LeBron James. For a player who has fought to prove himself among the league’s premier guards, this achievement means more than numbers. It is proof that the work he invested during the offseason was the right kind of work.
Mitchell admitted in an interview with Cleveland.com that he spent the summer deliberately shaping the best version of himself. He wanted to become more efficient, more controlled and more dangerous. He wanted to grow as a leader and become the steady force Cleveland could lean on in the toughest stretches of the season. As he put it, he finally feels like he has reached that balance.
“I feel like I am at my best right now efficiency wise. I think I am, and I just have to be consistent with it all year.”
Through 17 games, his claim is undeniable. Mitchell is averaging career highs in multiple categories, including 29.9 points per game on 50.3 percent shooting. But perhaps the more impressive leap lies in how he gets those numbers. This season, he is playing with improved patience, better shot selection and a heightened understanding of when to attack and when to empower his teammates. He is also contributing in every corner of the box score with 5.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per night. His three point shooting has reached 38.3 percent, helping stretch defenses in ways that open driving lanes for himself and opportunities for others.
What stands out most is how Mitchell has found a rhythm that blends aggression with maturity. He no longer forces every possession or tries to push himself past his physical limits. Instead, he picks his moments with a sense of calm, allowing the game to come to him. This approach has influenced the entire team, and it has allowed the Cavaliers to maintain momentum even while dealing with injuries that have frequently kept their full core off the court.
His teammate Darius Garland has been one of the loudest admirers of Mitchell’s evolution. For Garland, this season’s version of Mitchell is exactly the one the Cavaliers need to compete deep into the playoffs. He describes Mitchell as someone capable of performing at an MVP level, someone who understands when to dominate and when to let others flourish. Garland sees a leader who balances star power with trust.
“The Spida that we know, MVP that we know, first team All NBA that we know he should be every year. We need that to go forward, and he is starting to realize that. But he also wants us to do our thing as well. It is a give and take type of thing with Don, but we really need Don to go be Don.”
What has pushed Mitchell to reach his peak form this season goes deeper than personal ambition. The heartbreak from last season continues to fuel him. Cleveland ended the 2024 to 2025 campaign with the best record in the Eastern Conference at 64 to 18 and entered the playoffs as heavy favorites to reach the NBA Finals. After sweeping the Miami Heat in the first round, the Cavaliers fell apart in stunning fashion, losing to the Indiana Pacers in a 4 to 1 upset in the conference semifinals.
Mitchell has spoken openly about how the loss affected him. He realized during that series that carrying the entire offensive load from end to end was unsustainable. The exhaustion became visible, and the inefficiency that followed cost them crucial possessions. The experience changed how he approached the game.
“That is what last year’s playoffs really taught me. If you have to continue to drive full court every single possession, you are going to tire out. You will not be efficient. And I do not just mean scoring, overall as a basketball player. So I think for me, just finding different ways to score, different ways to be a threat, and then that opens up everything else.”
This year, Mitchell is playing smarter, not harder. He is leaning into mid range opportunities, trusting his jumper, cutting without the ball and allowing the Cavaliers’ offense to breathe. His maturity shows in small details, from reading defenses carefully to involving his teammates early in the clock to conserving energy for late game moments when Cleveland needs him most.
As a result, the Cavaliers have returned to the top tier of the Eastern Conference with confidence and momentum. Even though injuries have tested their depth and chemistry, Mitchell’s leadership has kept them consistent. His presence on the court has become a stabilizing force, a reminder that the Cavaliers have a star capable of changing the entire direction of a game.
If he continues at this pace, Mitchell is on track to deliver the kind of season that could redefine his legacy. He is not just scoring more or shooting better. He is becoming a more complete basketball player, a more patient leader and a more disciplined competitor. This version of Donovan Mitchell might be exactly what Cleveland needs to chase the championship dream that slipped away last spring.
As the season unfolds, one thing is clear. Mitchell is no longer searching for the next step. He has found it. And with every game, every shot and every moment where he takes control, he reminds the league that the journey to the top of the East must go through him.
This season might be remembered as the year Donovan Mitchell finally became the truest version of himself. And if he stays on this path, it could also be the year Cleveland rises with him.
