Donovan Mitchell Shows Resilience Amid Cavaliers Struggles, Speaks on Mindset

The Cleveland Cavaliers need Donovan Mitchell to be at the top of his game.

The 29-year-old guard is coming off an excellent showing in the Cavaliers' most recent game against the Orlando Magic. The two sides met on Saturday, Jan. 24, from the Kia Center in Orlando, Fla., with the Cavaliers coming out on top, 119-105.

Cleveland dominated from start to finish, with Mitchell tacking on 36 points, five rebounds and nine assists in what was arguably one of his best games in the 2025-26 NBA season. He also put up the team's highest plus-minus at +15.

With the bigs, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, combining for just 21 points, Mitchell's offensive production was really important to the team's success. On the season, he's currently averaging 29.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists a night on shooting splits of 48.2% from the field and 38.0% from beyond the arc.

But even with the offense being such a critical reason why they won, the defense is what impressed the 6-foot-2, 215-pound guard the most.

"Remember, early in the year, we were letting these offensive mishaps kind of mess us up mentally; we weren't doing the necessary things on the defensive end because of that," he said following the win. "We didn't do that as a collective, and you see what happens."

When the Cavaliers can lean on Mitchell offensively and then effectively lock down the defensive side of the ball, they thrive. Since Jan. 12, the Cavaliers have won 5-of-7 games, showing a deep drive to turn the year around.

Mitchell spoke to how, at this point in the season, he's just trying to find ways to show up and win games.

"I didn't go to sleep until 4:30, 5 o'clock - -woke up at 10," Mitchell said about the night before the game in Orlando. "These are the moments you enjoy. ... Collectively, we just continue to find ways.

"We all knew we were going to be tired but at some point you have to find it."

Donovan on what it took to gut the game out:

"I didn't go to sleep until 4:30, 5 o'clock - -woke up at 10. These are the moments you enjoy. ... Collectively, we just continue to find ways. We all knew we were going to be tired but at some point you have to find it." pic.twitter.com/tU8128Nck2
— RealCavsFans.com (@realcavsfans) January 25, 2026

The season hasn't been kind to Cleveland.

They've dealt with injuries left and right, with the majority of them occurring to some of the team's most crucial members. The most notable, Darius Garland, often complements Mitchell's game at a high-level, resulting in a much more cohesive offense.

While it may be a bit of time before he gets fully healthy, Mitchell will have to continue running the offense. As he said, it's going to be a tiring part of the season, especially without Garland, to give him a much-needed break.

Whether Mitchell wants to believe it or not, he's going to be the reason why the Cavaliers' season gets back on track, or crashes and burns. After all, he's putting up some of the best numbers in the league this season with nearly 30 points a night.

Mitchell will look to continue pushing the Cavaliers forward with a date against the Magic yet again, this time from Rocket Arena. The two sides will clash from Rocket Arena on Monday, Jan. 26, with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m. EST.