Donovan Mitchell shares how criticism from people like Stephen A. Smith impacted him when he was younger

Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell was immediately impressive as a rookie upon entering the league with the Utah Jazz years ago, but according to the five-time All-Star himself, it wasn’t until his second season in the NBA that he knew he was a special talent.

He recently shared how criticism from media members like ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith helped him realize that he belonged.

“My second year in the league,” Mitchell said when asked when he knew he was a special talent. “… So, I’ll never forget this. I had my whole rookie year. There were times my rookie year where I had my moments — ’cause I didn’t believe I was supposed to be in the league. I don’t know if y’all know. I didn’t think I was gonna be in the NBA. I was a baseball player growin’ up. I didn’t start playin’ basketball for real ’til my junior year of high school. That’s when I was like, ‘Alright, bet.’ Like, I’m playin’.

“So for me, I’m four years removed from baseball (at the time). So when I got to the league, I’m having 40s, I’m doin’ this, but I’m like, oh, I’m ridin’ a high. I’m thinkin’ this is just like some video game s—. When we beat OKC in the playoffs, that was when I was really confident, but then my second year in the league, all the hype — almost won Rookie of the Year, all that — I started the season on a lower note. I didn’t really come into (the) season into shape as I should have.

“And when people started talkin’ s— about, ‘Oh, he not that good,’ and I overcame that little hump, that’s when I was like, ‘Alright, bet. I belong.’ Because they only doin’ that — they not gonna talk s—, like you said, about the last guy on the bench. That’s when I was like, ‘Alright, bet.’ The fact that last year (the rookie season) it was all, ‘He this. He this. He could be this. He could be that.’ And now this year (the sophomore season), it’s like, ‘Oh, he’s not like that,’ that’s when it was like — and one of my teammates had told me that — that’s a sign of respect.

“The greats go through the highs and the lows throughout, then that’s when I really stopped listening to the media for real, but that was when I realized, like, oh, you got the Stephen A. Smiths talkin’ ’bout, ‘Oh, he can be this. He can be that.’ And then you start strugglin’, then it’s like, ‘Oh, he’s not this. He’s not that.’ That’s when I was like, ‘Alright, bet.’ You overcome that. You start becomin’ better. That’s when, like, ‘Alright, bet.'”

As a rookie, Mitchell averaged 20.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 34.0 percent from deep in the regular season. Utah made the playoffs in his first NBA season, and he didn’t shy away from the moment, averaging 24.4 points per contest across 11 playoff games.

Mitchell finished second in the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year race, with the award ultimately going to then-Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons.

While the early stages of Mitchell’s second NBA season might have featured some opportunities for criticism from the media, he ended up putting together a perfectly respectable campaign, averaging 23.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He did struggle in the playoffs as a sophomore, but he made up for it in the seasons that followed.

Since the end of his sophomore season, Mitchell has earned five straight All-Star selections and established himself as a very good playoff performer. After struggling in the playoffs as a sophomore, he averaged a league-best 36.3 points per game in the playoffs during his third NBA season. In his last five trips to the playoffs, he has averaged 30.1 points per game.

Mitchell earned All-NBA honors in the 2022-23 season with the Cavs and has become one of the faces of the franchise. He’s about to enter his third season with Cleveland and is set to stick around a while after signing an extension with the franchise this offseason.

The 27-year-old has accomplished a lot already and still has time to add to his resume.