Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell revealed that he picked the brain of Cavs assistant coach DeMarre Carroll about Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James to try to better his game and his leadership.
“He’s steady,” Mitchell said of Carroll. “First thing I asked him, he was obviously around Giannis, around LeBron, two champions. So, for me, it was just like, ‘Hey, what did you see over there? What do you see from a leadership standpoint for myself? How are they able to take it to that level?’ You know, those were my first [questions].”
Mitchell recently shared his goal of bringing a championship to Cleveland within the next five years, and it appears that Carroll may be able to help him get there.
“Ideally, if I can paint a picture, I would win a championship at some point over the next five years,” Mitchell told The Athletic. “It’s hard to win championships. It’s hard to win in this league. Despite public opinion, I love being in Cleveland and I want to win a title with this group.”
Being around players like James (a four-time champion) and Antetokounmpo (a one-time champion) certainly gives Carroll a different perspective than some other coaches that have been in the NBA.
Mitchell has been a leader for the Cavs since he was traded to the franchise prior to the 2022-23 season. Not only has Mitchell earned two All-Star nods and an All-NBA selection since joining the Cavs, but he has also led the franchise to postseason success.
In the 2022-23 season, Mitchell helped lead the Cavs to the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference – the first time the franchise made the playoffs since James left the Cavs for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Then, in the 2023-24 season, Mitchell and the Cavs won a playoff series, beating the Orlando Magic in seven games in the first round. While they ultimately were bounced by the Boston Celtics (who went on to win the title) in the second round, Mitchell and the Cavs have been making strides in the right direction since he joined the franchise.
This season, Cleveland is off to a 26-4 start and holds the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Mitchell has been one of the driving forces in that start, averaging 23.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from 3.
Hopefully, the Cavs star can learn some lessons from Carroll that will help him take Cleveland to the next level – and eventually the NBA Finals – in the coming seasons.
