Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell has reflected on playing and winning against his former team, Utah Jazz. Mitchell commented on meeting his former teammates and coaches, while also shedding light on the approach to the game.
Cleveland’s matchup against the Jazz on Monday night posed to be quite the tumultuous affair. The two teams have never had much of a rivalry. However, this year’s offseason laid the grounds for some discord in the future.
Former Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell was one of the primary figures in trade rumors in the offseason. With the Jazz undergoing a full-scale rebuild, Mitchell was on the trade block and on his way out.
While many expected the star to head over to the Big Apple, the Jazz shocked the league by trading the guard to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The deal itself took everyone involved by surprise, including Mitchell. However, the guard found himself on one of the most talented young rosters in the league.
Given the nature of the dealings in the offseason, the Cavs vs Jazz game was laced with intriguing storylines as Mitchell faced off against his former team. However, Donovan Mitchell approached the game like it was any other.
Following the Cavs’ 122-99 win against the Jazz, Mitchell recalled the experience of playing against his former team. Keeping things simple, he said:
“As I said this morning, it’s always good to play against your guys and have fun. I think the bigger game will be when we go back out there but, as a whole, for a group, as a team, we played really. Did a lot of good things, collectively.”
Mitchell continued to break down the Cavs’ performance in the game. Speaking about his personal experience, he reiterated:
“It was just a lot of fun being out there playing against guys I’ve been playing with and the coaching staff that I’ve been with my whole career. Really helped me grow to be who I am today.”
Mitchell continued by highlighting the experience of being traded and the reality of the situation kicking in after the games against the New York Knicks. Placing emphasis on “keep the main thing, the main thing”, Mitchell continues to work on growing and building with the roster in Cleveland.
Donovan Mitchell leads the scoring charge against the Utah Jazz
With high expectations placed upon the Cavs guard, “Spida” delivered for his new team. Leading the Cavs’ winning effort with 23 points on a red-hot 8-12 shooting from the field, Donovan Mitchell set the tone for the game.
His teammates built upon his scoring momentum as Cedi Osman and Jarrett Allen also scored 20+ points each. The Cavs saw balanced scoring from across the board, which is representative of their roster depth.
The Cavs also stifled Utah’s offense as they held them to below 100 points. With Cleveland holding Utah’s perimeter shooting to below 30% as well, the Cavs managed to execute well on both ends of the floor.
With a win against his former team in the bag, Mitchell remains focused on racking up some wins. Placing some emphasis on the away game in Utah, “Spida” will look forward to an impressive homecoming as well.
Read: Donovan Mitchell opens up on Cleveland Cavaliers move – “I don’t think I’ve been happier since I’ve been in the league”
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