Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell scored 71 points against Chicago on January 2, 2023 — the highest single-game total in Cleveland Cavaliers history and the seventh-highest in NBA history — in a performance that represented both the ceiling of his individual scoring capacity and a statement about what his game can produce when he is operating with full confidence and rhythm.

His regular profile is more sustainable but still elite: 26.6 points per game in 2023-24 on 45.3% shooting, 6.1 assists, and reliable perimeter defense that makes him one of the better two-way guards in the Eastern Conference. The "Spida" nickname reflects his attacking mentality — he gets into offensive positions through cutting, driving, and creating contact, rather than relying on passive pull-up scoring that more passive wing scorers favor.

Mitchell's move from Utah to Cleveland in 2022 — in which Cleveland gave up considerable assets for an unproven commodity at the time — proved to be one of the most important personnel decisions in the Cavaliers' recent history. His development in Cleveland exceeded the projections that justified the trade, and his performance in the 2024 playoffs demonstrated that the organization had found a guard capable of carrying a contending team.

He attended Louisville before Utah selected him 13th overall in 2017 — a pick that came via a trade with Phoenix, making it one of the most consequential acquisitions in Jazz history even as Mitchell has since departed for a different chapter.