Donovan Mitchell has bold stance about his recent play for the Cleveland Cavaliers

Donovan Mitchell is in legitimate contention to be a MVP this season.

The 29-year-old has taken over the role of being the No. 1 option for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are currently riding a two-game winning streak. Most recently, the team downed the Milwaukee Bucks, 118-106, with Mitchell leading the scoring column with 37 points. He also dished off seven assists and grabbed five rebounds.

After the win over the Bucks, Mitchell spoke to the level of play he's been at this season.

“This is the best basketball I’ve ever played," Mitchell said. "I feel like I’m one of the top scorers in the league. It’s about being efficient with it... but my teammates are making it easy for me.”

On the 2025-26 season, Mitchell is currently averaging 30.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists a night with splits of 50.9% from the field and 38.8% from deep range. He's also taken a ginormous leap defensively, now up to 1.5 steals a game and 0.5 blocks.

"[My teammates] are allowing me to be the guy and go out there and make plays," he said. "They're also making great plays themselves which makes it easy for me."

Donovan Mitchell on his game:

“This is the best basketball I’ve ever played. I feel like I’m one of the top scorers in the league. It’s about being efficient with it but my teammates are making it easy for me.”
pic.twitter.com/PDrCHzrFXM
— ¹⁰ (@HoodiGarland) November 19, 2025

The Cavaliers have had a handful of tough games this season, including a few that have come down to fourth quarter performances. Mitchell has welcomed these rocky roads as a way to prepare the team for the end of the season, especially if the team wants to contend for an NBA championship.

“Hate to sound like a sicko but this is great," Mitchell said late last week. "Last year, we were never mentally tested. The sky’s not falling. These are great tests for us and good thing to learn from. We’re not worried as a group.”

Over the course of the last six games, Mitchell is averaging an impressive 34.8 minutes a game with 32.5 points and 6.3 rebounds. He's been the consistent workhorse on the offensive end for the Cavaliers.

While he is off to an incredible start to the year, the Cavaliers' front office recently was fined $100,000 on Tuesday. Against the Miami Heat on Nov. 12, the team opted to sit both Mitchell and forward Evan Mobley.

The league determined that the team violated the league's Player Particpation Policy by resting the two. The policy ensures that "no more than one star player is unavailable for the same game.” According to the rule, a star player is deemed to be anyone who is selected to an All-NBA Team or All-Star team in the last three campaigns.

Both have consistently been "star" players for the Cavaliers.

Since the 2019-2020 season, Mitchell has always been elected to the All-Star game and has been an All-NBA selection twice. As of now, he's surging to potentially securing his seventh and third honors respectively.

The former first-round selection will be back in action with Cleveland on Wednesday, Nov. 19, with tip-of slated for 7:00 p.m. The Cavaliers will matchup against the Houston Rockets.

The Cavaliers come in with a record of 10-5 overall record, while the Rockets are 9-3. Both sides are off to a major jump on the season.