Donovan Mitchell Starting the All-Star Game isn't the Only Good News the Cleveland Cavaliers Received Thursday

The path to at least three All-Stars looks pretty clear.

Photo via Erik Drost

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell was named as an All-Star for the second time in his career on Thursday night. It’s the sixth time he’s been selected as an All-Star.

Making an All-Star team is nothing new for Mitchell. He’s made it in each of the past five seasons – his final three years in Utah and his first two seasons in Cleveland. Each of those seasons looked similar. Mitchell has built a reputation as a high volume scorer capable of scoring outbursts that lead to wins for his teams. When Mitchell is at his best, few in the NBA are better at simply going and getting a bucket.

That isn’t who Mitchell has been this year on the floor. His game has changed and it’s led to great team success in Cleveland at the cost of some of Mitchell’s personal statistics. Instead of operating as a ball-dominant bucket-getting machine, he’s taken a slight step to the side to help others – primarily Darius Garland and Evan Mobley – flourish in ways that have helped the Cavs amass more wins than any other team in the Eastern Conference and the best record in basketball entering play on Friday.

Mitchell’s counting stats – 23.2 points, 4.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game – aren’t wildly impressive. None of them are career highs. In fact, the only year in his career he scored fewer points per game was his rookie year in Utah, where he averaged 20.5 per game. That doesn’t mean he isn’t the same player – or even better – than what he’s been in the past.

He’s been a different player.