Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell On Rookie of The Year Candidate: “That Kid Is Good”

Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell knows a thing or two about being an elite player. If he has respect for one of his young opponents, that means a ton in NBA circles.

Feb 23, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells (0) during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

If Cleveland Cavaliers' star guard Donovan Mitchell had a NBA Rookie of the Year vote, you best believe he'd think long and hard about casting it for Memphis Grizzlies' rookie forward Jaylen Wells.

The two matched up this past weekend in a 129-123 win for the Cavaliers, but Mitchell left the game feeling impressed with the rising star. Mitchell had a great night himself, scoring 33 points with six assists and two rebounds, but the Memphis rookie guarded him tough all game. Wells also added 14 points of his own on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 shooting from downtown.

Mitchell left the game impressed with Wells' tenacity as a young defender.

“For a second-round rookie [to face] guys like myself, Dame [Lillard], Book [Devin Booker], Ant [Edwards], Steph [Curry], he's on the [scouting] report. That's a lot of respect to him," Mitchell said, via Spencer Davies of RG.

Mitchell went off against the Grizzlies, but Wells' resume speaks for itself as a defender that game notwithstanding. Per Davies, the rookie has held Devin Booker scoreless in the two games that they've matched up in. He's held Damian Lillard to just a combined six points in two games.

Being able to play that kind of defense while still hunting his shot as a rookie? That's perhaps what impressed the Cavaliers' star the most about Wells when they matched up on Sunday.

“On the offensive end, I didn't know he shot it as well as he did, with confidence. He's kind of made himself a staple over there,” Mitchell explained. “They really rely on him to disrupt a lot of different things. He's definitely really talented, and he's only gonna get better. I give him a lot of credit for continuing to be that player and not really tripping on if I score or he gets scored on, or if he makes shots, doesn't make shots. He's been that way. I've been watching it all year, first time in person.”

That's high praise from a six-time All-Star, but Wells may want to start getting used to the idea of being an All-Star himself. He was the Western Conference Rookie of the Month in both October and November of this season and was part of the Rising Stars Game at All-Star Weekend earlier this month.

“That kid is good,” Mitchell said.

Wells was selected by the Grizzlies with the 39th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He's averaged 11.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game and has been recently mentioned alongside Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs and his teammate, Zach Edey, as a Rookie of the Year candidate