By james art 
It’s been a whirlwind of success since Donovan Mitchell joined the Cleveland Cavaliers. In Mitchell’s first season, the Cavs made the playoffs with LeBron James on the roster for the first time since the 1997-98 season. The following season, Cleveland reached the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs without James for the first time since the 1992-93 season. This season alone, Mitchell has led Cleveland to a 7-0 start, the second best in franchise history. Since Mitchell has been a Cavs player, success has become the standard, and that success applies to Mitchell individually.
Mitchell tied Kyrie Irving for the franchise scoring record in Cleveland’s recent win over the Milwaukee Bucks. In just three seasons, Mitchell tied Irving with 54 30-point games with the Cavs. It took the former No. 1 overall pick six seasons with Cleveland for Irving to reach that mark. And so, in just half the time and far fewer games (Irving has played 433 with the Cavs, while Mitchell has played 145), Mitchell has matched perhaps the most remarkable point guard in Cavs franchise history with his scoring acumen. Considering how much Irving accomplished with Cleveland and his career, the fact that Mitchell could match that was no easy feat.
If Mitchell scores 30 points in the Cavs’ upcoming game against the Bucks, he will pass Irving for third place in franchise history. From there, Mitchell would be just three games away from tying the World B. Free for the second-most 30-point games in Cleveland franchise history. Freeh reached that mark in 279 games over four seasons with the Cavs. So for Mitchell to eclipse two franchise legends in less than a few games would be a testament to his greatness.
Where does Donovan Mitchell rank among all-time Cavs greats?
Mitchell would then chase LeBron James for the No. 1 spot, but that could take some time. James holds the franchise record for 30-point games with 324, accomplishing the feat in 1,001 games over 11 seasons. So Mitchell has time on his side. On his current trajectory, Mitchell could match James if he scores 30 points in 871 games for the Cavs. Not including the playoffs, which would require Mitchell to play in Cleveland for at least ten more regular seasons and miss just nine regular season games. So while Mitchell is on his way to becoming an all-time great for the Cavs, catching up with James might be the equivalent of chasing a ghost.
But where does Mitchell rank as an all-time great for Cleveland after James? Some would argue that Irving, who scored the most important shot in Cavs history, is right behind James as the second greatest player in franchise history. But there’s also a case for players like World B. Free (who Mitchell can pass), Mark Price, Brad Doherty, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Nance and Hot Rod Williams.
So to figure out where he ranks after Cleveland’s last win over Milwaukee, here’s where Mitchell stands when it comes to franchise records:
- Three-pointers made – 11 (449)
- Three-pointers attempted – 11th (1184)
- Three-point field goal percentage – 20th (37.9%)
- Two-point field goal percentage – 4th (55.5%)
- Free Kick Percentage – 7th (86.3%)
- Minutes per game – 5th (35.2)
- Points Per Game – 1st (27.4)
- Steals per game – 5th (1.6)
- Player Efficiency Rating (PER) – 2nd (22.6)
- True Shooting Percentage – 5th (60.6%)
- Effective Field Goal Percentage – 3rd (56.1%)
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Will Donovan Mitchell go down in Cleveland franchise history?
So while Mitchell has done a lot of great things individually with the Cavs and for Cleveland as a team, he hasn’t been here long enough to measure his true legacy. There’s no denying, however, that Mitchell has had a lasting impact on the Cavs in such a short time. So while he may not measure up statistically to some of Cleveland’s other all-time greats, he’s undoubtedly already entered the conversation to reach that level with the Cavs.
However, over time, Mitchell could easily continue to climb the ranks and become one of the greatest players in Cleveland franchise history. Again, success has been the standard since Mitchell joined the Cavs. So the sky is the limit for what he can achieve. If Mitchell can win a title with Cleveland, his ultimate goal, his status as one of the team’s all-time greats is more than cemented. But for now, the focus for Mitchell and Cleveland is picking their next win against Milwaukee. It’s still game by game from there.