Former NBA guard Brandon Jennings believes that Donovan Mitchell shouldn’t be the No. 1 option for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2023-24 season.
Cleveland made the playoffs in Mitchell’s first season with the team, but the Cavs were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the New York Knicks in just five games. Jennings was not happy with that showing from the team.
“Cleveland, man, they disappointed me last year,” Jennings said.
He then went on to offer a hot take about Mitchell.
“Listen, I don’t think Donovan Mitchell should be the No. 1 option,” Jennings said.
While Jennings didn’t say that someone else on the team should be the No. 1 option or if the Cavs should be looking to make a trade, he was adamant that Mitchell may not be the guy to lead the team.
“I don’t know if Donovan Mitchell is a No. 1 option anymore,” Jennings said.
It’s an interesting take from Jennings, especially since Mitchell had arguably the best season of his NBA career in the 2022-23 campaign.
The four-time All-Star made an All-NBA team for the first time in his career while averaging 28.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He shot 48.4 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from the 3-point line in the 2022-23 regular season.
In the playoffs, Mitchell did see his scoring average dip to 23.2 points per game, and he was less efficient – shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 28.9 percent from beyond the arc.
However, it’s hard to discount everything Cleveland and Mitchell did to make the playoffs as the No. 4 seed after failing to make the playoffs in four straight seasons after LeBron James left for the Los Angeles Lakers.
If the Cavs keep the same core this offseason, then it’s hard to implement Jennings’ idea of making Mitchell something other than the No. 1 option. While Darius Garland and Evan Mobley are great young players, Mitchell is clearly the best scorer of the group.
Cleveland could explore the trade market this offseason, but that may be a bit of an overreaction after a successful season that ended with an unfortunate playoff dud.
The Cavs likely aren’t looking to shake things up, no matter how Jennings feels about their star guard.
