Donovan Mitchell 2024 NBA Playoffs Scouting Report: Dissecting Cavaliers guard's role, impact and minutes

The Cleveland Cavaliers went 48-34 and secured the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, with Donovan Mitchell's performance being a huge reason. Mitchell is the sole All-Star for the Cavs this season and has shown that he deserves that distinction with how he's led the team.

There have been rumors that Mitchell could leave the Cavs as soon as his contract is up or even force his way into wearing a different jersey by the time the 2024-25 season begins, but these whispers can wait.

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Mitchell and the Cavs have a job to do in the playoffs and it begins on Apr. 20 when they play their first game of the postseason against a young Orlando Magic squad led by 2023 Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero.

These two teams played each other four times in the regular season, splitting those games 2-2. Out of these four contests, Mitchell missed just one. In the three games he was present for, he averaged 27.3 points, 7.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds.

If the Cavs hope to get past the Magic, then Mitchell will need to do the same or even surpass these performances.

Donovan Mitchell regular season stats

The five-time All-Star was the clear number-one option for the Cavs, as he led the team in scoring and was second in assists. Here are his regular season stats for 2023-24

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG%	FT%
Donovan Mitchell	26.6	5.1	6.1	1.8	0.5	2.8	46.2%	36.8%	86.5%

Donovan Mitchell playoff stats

The Cavs have an experienced leader on their roster, with Donovan Mitchell having been in the playoffs every year since 2017-18, stretching back to his time with the Utah Jazz.

Mitchell had a breakout performance in the 2020 playoffs when he led all players in points per game average in the postseason with 36.3 per game in seven appearances.

He has yet to replicate those numbers, but that isn't to say he's been awful in the postseason. Here are his career postseason averages.

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG%	3-PT FG%	FT%
Donovan Mitchell	27.8	5.0	5.0	1.3	0.3	3.3	43.1%	35.9%	85.6%

Strengths and Weaknesses

Donovan Mitchell's greatest strength is his ability to create for himself on offense. He commands so much attention and a young team like the Orlando Magic could be tricked into over-committing. If this happens, his ability to find his teammates could pose an even bigger threat.

He's no slouch on defense, either. He's not a traditional ball-stopper who could clamp down the best offensive player but he is a pest who can force turnovers.

One concern for Mitchell is his inconsistency. If he doesn't get hot, then that spells problems. Once he starts missing, it piles on because he will try to find his offense and might fall into the trap of forcing things.

He has also shown a tendency to go cold from the three-point line in the postseason based on the last two years. In 2021-22, he shot 20.8% from three in the postseason after making 35.5% in the regular season. In 2022-23, he went from shooting 38.6% from downtown to only 28.9% once the playoffs rolled around.

Lastly, Donovan Mitchell is turnover-prone, especially in the playoffs. This could become a problem against the Orlando Magic, which has the third-best-rated defense in the NBA.

Impact, role and projected playoff minutes

There is no reason for Donovan Mitchell to suddenly take a backseat to Darius Garland or any other Cavs player in the postseason.

He will remain as the team's number one option. As such, their hopes of having a deep playoff run hinge on how well he bounces back from the knee issues that plagued him for the last few games of the regular season. Of course, this all changes if those knee issues keep him from playing.

Mitchell will have the biggest impact on the team, if he's hot then the team will get hot, if he goes cold then the Cavs could falter.

Regardless of how he performs, expect him to play beyond the 35.3 minutes per game he had in the regular season.