Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell Gets Real on Disappointing Season

The Cleveland Cavaliers undoubtedly didn't finish with the results they wanted to this past NBA season, starting off with an impressive 60-plus win regular season to rank atop the Eastern Conference and ending with a second-round exit that took them out of the postseason mix early vs. the Indiana Pacers.

For the Cavaliers, it's far from a secret that this season wasn't the most ideal–– something that's certainly true for star guard Donovan Mitchell, who's been vocal about the disappointing results of this past season for Cleveland since being taken out, and has kept that same energy even into summer league.

During the Cavaliers' second game of summer league in Las Vegas, Mitchell joined the broadcast to sound off on his takeaways from this past postseason, noting it as both a learning experience and recognizing the shortcomings he and the roster encountered.

"When you're in hindsight, it's always like, 'okay, we've taken a step. You need this to take it to the next level," Mitchell stated. "But, to be honest with you, and I think we all feel this way, it was a letdown for us, man. We let ourselves down. We let the city down. We let the organization down. We all felt it... Everything lined up for us to do that, and we didn't take care of business. So, that's the failure on our part. So, now the biggest thing is, take it, use it as fuel."

While recognizing the learning experience that may come with the Cavaliers falling short of that title, it's not quite the results Mitchell and Cleveland aspire for. Since his three years being in-town, the team has seemingly made noticeable steps on the floor with each passing year, as shown during this past season's historic 60-win showing.

Still, not enough to get atop the totem pole, putting Mitchell and the Cavaliers back to the drawing board before next year.

May 13, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) and guard Donovan Mitchell (45) react during the second half against the Indiana Pacers in game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Expect a motivated and hungry Donovan Mitchell for the 2025-26 season, something that could help this Cavaliers group finally get over their aspired playoff hump.

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