CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The NBA continues to recognize the impact Donovan Mitchell is having on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But when will the national pundits?
Mitchell was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the first time this season on Monday after Mitchell averaged 27.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks as the Cavs went 4-0 for the week.
Cleveland has won 17 of their last 18 and 22 of 26 yet you don’t hear much talk about Mitchell as an MVP candidate with the Cavs holding the second-best record in the East entering play Monday night.
“I mean to me it's foolish,” Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “I don't know. You have a team who is tops in the league in offensive categories, defensive categories, win losses, and he's having a phenomenal year. He's having probably by the numbers, the best year of his career. So a guy who still, I believe should have been first team All-NBA last year to be having an even better year and not to be, and the team is winning, for him to not be in the conversation is kind of laughable to me.”
The All-Star took home Player of the Month honors for January and is averaging 28.2 points plus career highs in rebounds with 5.4, 6.3 assists and 1.88 steals per game this season.
As impressive as Mitchell’s offensive numbers are, Mitchel’s impact defensively has been just as elite.
“The balance that he's found in how he creates throughout the game for himself and how he creates for his teammates,” Bickerstaff said. “I mean, there's moments in games where your stars have to be stars and there's guys who are run stoppers and Donovan is one of those guys, but he's not forcing the issue. He's taken the plays that are there for him.
“I think it's gone a little bit unsaid, but he's done a hell of a job defensively also. We've put him on difficult assignments, he's taken those challenges. One-on-one defeating screens, all those things. So I mean there's just a completeness to his game and again, it's elevated everybody.”
Despite the team’s hot streak, the Cavs continue to fly under the national radar as a team as well.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I don't care,” Bickerstaff said. “What matters to us is what we're doing and how we're handling our business. And we know as quickly as people will say good things about you, you turn around the next day and they'll be killing you. So it doesn't matter what outside noise is saying and attention, we're going through the league and hopefully we're earning respect of our peers and we're winning basketball games and that's all that matters.”