How Cleveland Cavaliers' Depth Showed Out in Win Over Orlando Magic

The Cleveland Cavaliers are led by Donovan Mitchell, but it took more than just their star to get past the Orlando Magic in their latest matchup.

In the second quarter when Mitchell was on the bench, several members of the second unit stepped up to the plate to build a double-digit lead for the Cavs. Mitchell shared what he believes is the impact the second unit has for the team.

“That just shows the work of our young guys when everybody is in the game. It is not always going to be me; it is not always going to be Evan... it is going to be guys finding ways," Mitchell said.

"It is ‘Rese (Tyrese Proctor), Jaylon (Tyson), it was Qwan (Nae’Qwan Tomlin), Craig (Porter Jr.), everybody is going to find a way to just get stops, and we are going to play great basketball. Ball moving side to side, hitting the pocket, knocking down shots, being aggressive on the boards, and at the end of the day, that is always going to win out.”

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Lonzo Ball passes the ball around Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Cavaliers Bench Shining Through vs. Magic

Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson has also noticed an improvement in the last couple of games from the bench unit, and he is more comfortable with playing them more minutes as the season mileage starts to ramp up with the All-Star break in sight.

“Trust. I think it’s trust. Trust your roster, trust your bench. I felt like tonight, it was one of those nights we needed... we had to play everybody. Everybody was going to play back-to-back; definitely fatigued," Atkinson said.

"We just kind of rotated guys and Donovan, we just had to ride him. We usually get him out in that fourth quarter. And I felt like the game was in the balance. So, we have a day off tomorrow, so we rode him. That was a good call by the coach.”

If the Cavaliers are going to push through this tough stretch of games, they are going to need everyone from 1 to 15 on the roster.

“I think we’re celebrating our depth. Our young guys have been a great story this season. And we’ve had guys out, and obviously Donovan (Mitchell) and Evan (Mobley) have stepped up on these road games we’ve had, so it feels like a collective effort. I know Donovan had a great, great game tonight, but I feel like everybody’s contributing," Atkinson said.