Jarrett Allen has been teammates with Donovan Mitchell on the Cleveland Cavaliers for two seasons and said he has learned something significant about the All-Star’s game that he didn’t realize as an opponent.
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“Especially now, that man, he can pass,” Allen said. “That dude can pass. The way he finds people on the short roll, finds me in the short roll, people in the corner. …Â He can find anybody on the passes.”
Mitchell not only is one of the top scorers in the NBA, ranking fourth in the league at 28.0 points per game, but he also is in the top 25 in assists per game at 6.2. That latter number would be his NBA career-high by almost one assist per game.
The 27-year-old’s role may have changed a bit while fellow starting guard Darius Garland missed significant time this season with an injury. But Mitchell’s well-rounded game on the offensive end has helped Allen’s game as well, as the 25-year-old is currently near his career-high with 15.7 points per game and over his best mark at 2.7 assists per outing.
Despite starter Evan Mobley also missing significant time with an injury, the Cavs have had an excellent season to date. They are in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 39-20 record heading toward upcoming marquee matchups against the New York Knicks on Sunday and the conference-leading Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
After losing three of four games, the Cavs have now won three of their past four and are 21-6 since the calendar flipped to 2024. Mitchell has undoubtedly been a catalyst and been mentioned at times as a possible fringe contender for NBA MVP.
The University of Louisville product was the No. 13 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and was named to the ACC All-Defensive team as a sophomore, which was his final season in college. This season, he is averaging what would be an NBA career-high 1.8 steals per game for the Cavaliers.
Mitchell was traded to the Cavs after playing his first five NBA seasons for the Utah Jazz. His future in Cleveland remains an open question as he has yet to agree to a long-term contract extension.
But if Allen has his way — not to mention his other teammates, the organization and its fans — Mitchell will continue to reveal the many aspects of his game with the Cavs for an extended period of time.
