Donovan Mitchell Says He Expects Evan Mobley to Be Top 5 NBA Player: ‘There’s a Reason I Signed’

Back in the summer, following the Cleveland Cavaliers’ exit in the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, franchise star Donovan Mitchell’s future in Cleveland was seemingly up in the air.

However, Mitchell expressed concern that he might not stay with the Cavaliers to rest when he agreed to a three-year contract extension with the team in July.

While Mitchell had been mentally ready for months to get an extension with the Cavs, he recently admitted he opted to sign a deal to keep him in Cleveland for the long haul, in part because he’s so high on the big man Evan Mobley and believes that the 23-year-old will at some point be among the five best players in the league.

“I want to win so bad and there’s a reason why I signed,” Mitchell told Cleveland.com. “I saw it, and I see it on a daily basis, with Evan’s potential. It’s like, why not put yourself in that position to play with a guy that I think is going to be a top five player in this league? We know what JA (Jarrett Allen) can do. We’ve been All-Stars. But Ev’s not even scratched the surface. It’s about strengthening him and giving him confidence.”

Mitchell also pointed out that it has never been a question of talent with Mobley, but rather confidence.

“When I signed here, my first intention was for us to get the most out of Ev,” Mitchell said. “Never played with a guy like Ev. So how do we get the most out of that partnership? Saw that in that Boston series. He’s got the talent. It was more about him believing it on a nightly basis. I want him to to think, ‘I’m that guy.’ Now you surround him with a guy like myself and that makes it difficult for any defense. Just being on the floor with him allows him to play a certain way, it’s allowed me to grow as well. “

In the second round of last year’s playoffs against a Boston Celtics team that went on to win the title, Mobley took his game to another level. He averaged 21.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game against the big franchise and also shot 62.7 percent from the field.

Mobley has seemingly carried his momentum from that series against Boston into the 2024-25 campaign, as his two-way play has been key to the Cavaliers’ historically strong start to the season. He is averaging a career-high 18.8 points per game. game to go along with 8.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. match.

The big man has scored 20-plus points in five of his last seven games, and it’s probably no coincidence that Cleveland has been hotter than fish oil lately, with Mobley providing the team with some big scoring. The Cavaliers have won each of their last 10 contests, and Oklahoma City Thunder is the only team in the NBA with a longer active winning streak right now at 15 games.

But Cleveland may need another big game from Mobley on Wednesday to keep its winning streak alive as the Cavaliers take on the ferocious Thunder in what could shape up to be one of the most entertaining contests of the campaign to this point. Oklahoma City’s winning streak has the team within striking distance of the Cavaliers for the NBA’s best record.