Donovan Mitchell played his first 5 years of his career with the Utah Jazz and Monday night at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, he’d look to show how much he’s grown already in his first year in Cleveland.
Spida got things off on the right foot with 11 of the Wine and Gold’s first 19 points as the Cavs took a 19-10 lead halfway through the first against his former squad.
“It could go one or two ways when I get in that in that moment,” said Mitchell.
“I got to a point where I can start hitting shots, they're going to make an adjustment and I told the guys, especially DG, this is going to be their adjustment, I may not try and score, I may try and continue to fight it, may just be a decoy and just stand there, and come off in action just to run a play.
Just trying to set the tone, that was really all that was because it wasn't you know sticking it to anybody or just setting the tone for our route like let's just come out with the right mindset on both ends of the floor come out the right way because games like these can fluctuate.”
His Cleveland backcourt mate Darius Garland carried the weight the latter half of the first quarter with 8 points of his own as the Cavs led the Jazz 29-21 after 1.
Jarrett Allen took over the middle in the 2nd to finish the first half with 14 points and 9 boards as the Cavaliers took the 62-44 lead at the break and Allen credits his newest teammate Mitchell with having the right mindset against his former team.
“He was in the stable mindset I don't think there was he showed any malice to the Utah Jazz he just knew that it wasn’t necessarily another game but the night to go out there and just play his game which is why he helps his team win,” said Allen.
Allen continued to dominate inside in the 3rd while Isaac Okoro supplied a spark on the wing as the Cleveland lead swelled to 20 despite multiple runs from the Jazz. The big man tallied a double-double before the final quarter with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Okoro joined Allen, Mitchell, and Garland in double-digits with 12 points while holding one-time Cavalier Lauri Markkanen to just 2 points in the quarter after 22 in the first half.
“There's so much out there for him and there's things that he's capable of doing,” said JB Bickerstaff when asked about Okoro’s impact. “He helps us in transition, he can get out and run, he's a great cutter, he's a really good offensive rebounder, and he's a really good passer so there's so many things that he's capable of, we just have to continue to find them in those spots.”
Allen meantime appreciated the impact of Okoro on the defensive end especially in the 2nd half.
“He's been huge, yet I don't think he gets enough credit for how much he helps our defense, how much he guards the toughest, the best guy on the floor every single night, how he sacrifices his body,” said Allen about Okoro. “It's tough and he doesn't get frustrated when he gets a lot of fouls, we kind of lean on him for a lot of things, that's integral to the team.”
The Cavs were able to keep the lead above 20 in the 4th thanks to Cedi Osman connecting on 4 of his five 3-point attempts in the quarter.
“It’s kind of a phenomenon,” said Bickerstaff when describing Osman’s role off the bench. “He's one of those guys who has the ability to pull a crowd in and to be a momentum shifter. When he sees that first one go in, you can bet there's more that's going to follow and his teammates love it, the fans love it, and he's that spark for us that we need.”
In the end, 7 Cavaliers hit double-digits including all 5 starters as it was a 122-99 Wine and Gold winner over the Jazz. Jarrett Allen finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds while Cedi Osman has 22 off the bench but Mitchell still led Cleveland with 23 while only playing 23 minutes as it was an all-around team performance that Mitchell didn’t always get when he was in Utah.
“To see your guys continue to flourish, Cedi Osman played phenomenal tonight, Caris played really well Kevin Love had 10 boards and quiet 10 boards doing the little things continuously,” said Mitchell. “We all know what JA, Evan, myself, DG, Isaac Okoro have been doing, seeing those guys continuously take those steps to continue to get better because at the end of the day, you know they're going to continue to push us to get to the next level.”
When it comes to next level comfort, Mitchell has definitely settled into his role on the Cavaliers but it hasn’t been without a few minor hiccups.
“I am comfortable if that's what you're saying, I know obviously I'm still trying to figure out the highways but for me with this group it feels like I've been a part of for a while,” finished Mitchell. “The city, the fans, the team, everybody's welcomed you with open arms and you know the fit was pretty seamless. We didn't know what the fit was going to be like but it's been pretty fluid and you know my biggest thing is just trying to be myself not be anything extra, not trying to overdo it, not trying to overcompensate and you know my teammates have really allowed me to be that, my coaching staff as well, and I think that's what's making it seem so easy and free flowing.”