Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell says team ‘at a crossroads’ as early season struggles mount
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Donovan Mitchell believes the Cleveland Cavaliers have reached a pivotal moment. In a diary entry for Andscape, the All-Star guard wrote that the club must “find it collectively” after a start that has left Cleveland 17-14 and seventh in the Eastern Conference, a spot that would send the team to the play-in tournament.
“Mentally, we’ve got to find it,” Mitchell wrote. “We’re 29 games in. We’re not a playoff team right now. We’re not playing like it.” He described the current stretch as “that crossroad,” adding, “Now it’s on us to go out there and say, ‘Hey, we want to change this.’”
Numbers tell a split story
Mitchell is averaging 30.6 points while shooting 50.0% from the field and 38.9% from three-point range. Offensively, Cleveland ranks sixth in the NBA in scoring, but the defense has slipped to 20th in points allowed, a drop that has contributed to the club’s uneven results.
“When you’re in this position, it starts from within,” Mitchell noted. “One through 15, we’ve got to find a way to do the little things really well. Now we just need it to carry over to our results.”
Holiday spotlight ahead
The Cavaliers’ next opportunity comes on Christmas Day, when they visit the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Tipoff is scheduled for noon ET.
Source: Hoops Wire
