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From the moment Donovan Mitchell joined the Cleveland Cavaliers, it's been a whirlwind of success. In Mitchell's first season, the Cavs made the playoffs with LeBron James on the roster for the first time since the 1997-98 season. The following season, Cleveland made the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs without James's help for the first time since the 1992-93 season. This season alone, Mitchell has led Cleveland to a 7-0 start, the second-best in franchise history. Since Mitchell has been a Cavs player, success has become the standard, and that success also applies to Mitchell individually.
Mitchell tied Kyrie Irving for a franchise scoring record in Cleveland's recent win over the Milwaukee Bucks. In just three seasons, Mitchell matched Irving with 54 30-point games in a Cavs uniform. For Irving to reach that mark, it took the former No. 1 overall pick six seasons with Cleveland. So, in just half the time and far fewer games (Irving played 433 with the Cavs while Mitchell has played 145), Mitchell has tied arguably the most outstanding point guard in Cavs franchise history with his scoring acumen. Considering how much Irving has accomplished with Cleveland and his career, the fact that Mitchell could match it was no easy feat.
If Mitchell scores 30 points in the Cavs' upcoming game against the Bucks, he will pass Irving and own third place in the franchise's history. From there, Mitchell would only be three games away from tying World B. Free for the second most 30-point games in Cleveland's franchise history. Free reached that mark in 279 games throughout four seasons with the Cavs. So, for Mitchell to eclipse two franchise legends in less than a handful of games would be a testament to his greatness.
Where does Donovan Mitchell stack up among Cavs all-time greats?
After that, Mitchell would be chasing LeBron James for the No. 1 spot, but that might take a while. James owns the franchise record for 30-point games with 324, accomplishing the feat in 1001 games throughout 11 seasons. So, Mitchell does have time on his side. At his current trajectory, Mitchell could match James if he scores 30 points in 871 games for the Cavs. Not including the playoffs that would require Mitchell to play in Cleveland for at least ten more regular seasons and only miss nine regular season games. So, while Mitchell is on track to go down as an all-time great for the Cavs, catching up to James might be the equivalent of chasing a ghost.
However, where does Mitchell stack up as an all-time great for Cleveland after James? Some would argue that Irving, who hit the most crucial shot in Cavs history, is right behind James as the second-greatest player in franchise history. But there's also a case for players like World B. Free (who Mitchell can pass), Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Nance, and Hot Rod Williams.
So, to figure out where he ranks after Cleveland's latest win over Milwaukee, here's where Mitchell stands when it comes to franchise records:
- Three-pointers made – 11th (449)
- Three-pointers attempted- 11th (1184)
- Three-point Field Goal percentage – 20th (37.9%)
- Two-point Field Goal percentage – 4th (55.5%)
- Free-throw percentage – 7th (86.3%)
- Minutes per game – 5th (35.2)
- Points per game – 1st (27.4)
- Steals per game – 5th (1.6)
- Player Efficiency Rating (PER) – 2nd (22.6)
- True shooting percentage – 5th (60.6%)
- Effective field goal percentage – 3rd (56.1%)
Will Donovan Mitchell go down in Cleveland franchise history?
So, while Mitchell has done many great things individually with the Cavs and for Cleveland as a team, he hasn't been here long enough to measure his true legacy. However, it's undeniable that Mitchell has a long-lasting impact on the Cavs in such a short time. So, while he might not stack up statistically compared to some of Cleveland's other all-time greats, he has undoubtedly already entered the conversation to reach that level with the Cavs.
However, as time passes, Mitchell could easily continue to climb the ranks and become one of the greatest players in Cleveland's franchise history. Again, success has been the standard since Mitchell joined the Cavs. So, the sky's the limit for what he could accomplish. If Mitchell can win a title with Cleveland, his ultimate goal, his status is more than cemented as one of the team's all-time greats. But for now, the focus for Mitchell and Cleveland is to pick their next win against Milwaukee. From there, it's still game-by-game.
