Reaction: Donovan Mitchell reveals his next challenge for Cleveland Cavaliers star Evan Mobley !

Reaction: Donovan Mitchell reveals his next challenge for Cleveland Cavaliers star Evan Mobley !

you.
All right, man. So, I want to start with the Donovan Mitchell side of things. So, uh Taylor Brooks, right, the the the the the sports analyst for Bleacher Report. She sat down with Donovan Mitchell as Donovan kind of reacted and and you know, got some things off his chest uh at how the the last season just ended. You know, I I took two clips from there where he talked about the season coming to an abrupt end. And then the second clip I got from there is him pushing Evan Mobley to that next step. Before we get into any of that, I got to ask you because we haven’t talked about it. The moves that the Cavs made so far this off seasonason, how you feel about them? I actually like it. And one thing in particular, I know I know Tai was your guy. I know. I know Tai was was your man, but I feel like I feel like when when DG, Mobly, um, all those guys got hurt, right? And it was only Donovan moving the ball up the court. We had nobody else that could dribble the ball up the court. Simply bring the ball up the court consistently. And bringing in Alonzo Ball, somebody that can, if he’s healthy, somebody that can really run the point guard, that can really hit his he can hit his open shots if need be, but he can run the offense. He can be a guy that can defend. Um, he’s long, he’s lanky. He’s somebody that’s proven to do well as far as running offense, and guys love playing for him. I think that’s a better option than a Tai Jerome, right? Even though Taj Jerome was up for six man of the year and all these things, I think I feel like we can go a little bit deeper. We can do some things if Lonzo is helping running the show, right? If Lonzo gets those minutes that Ty Jerome had, I think he could really do some things. I love you bring back Sam Merrell. Um, so I I think you’re doing some things. Porter Junior’s in the mix now. I think you’re doing some things. Um, I I was disappointed with uh Oh, my name slipped my mind. He was in the G- League for the Cavs and we recently released him. We did not sign
Marty Bates.
I wanted to see I thought he had potential and I wanted to maybe he can just find a way to get in the lineup, but I don’t know. I’m not there every day. I get it. But the way he’s able to score and what he’s doing in the G-League and what he’s able to do when he does get his chance, he’s a scorer and you need more guys to score. Um, but I love the Lonzo ball. I love Sam Merrill. Um and and we’ll see what else happens. But I think Lonzo was huge because the Indiana series we struggled bringing the ball up the court and having that death piece. Um as far as anybody that went down.
Yeah, Lonzo Ball to me I think went healthy. You know, you flee the Chicago Bulls in that deal. This is a 66 facilitating point guard that can defend. I think he played somewhere around 39 games last year, which was his first season in about two years. and he he was pretty solid. You know, I look at this situation like you and we’re getting to the Darius Garland side of things, but DG is going to start the season injured. He won’t be available to us. And if and if is a is a big, you know, factor here when you talking about Lonzo Ball and his health, but if he’s healthy, I think that he will do uh I think he would do be a huge, you know, part of unlocking the next level of Evan Mobley because Ball is not a point guard. that’s out there that’s looking to score. He’s looking to get everybody on the team involved and we’ve talked about getting Evan Moley’s usage rate up and I think he will do, you know, numbers and helping that be the case. And then you look at it from a defensive standpoint. He’s a guy that, you know, won’t get caught in pick and rolls a lot, right? Because he’s big, he can defend, he know how to get around those screens and things like that. Intelligent.
Yeah. Very intelligent. and this is the number what former number two overall pick in in the NBA draft. So, you know, he’s been in the NBA for a while. I think he’s played six season and if he’s healthy, I think it can be a huge beneficiary to the Cleveland Cavaliers. I look at the move with Larry Nance Jr., a guy that’s familiar with the organization. He’s been in the league 10 years. The Cast was lacking a backup big, right? a guy that can shoot on a perimeter, a guy that can play with and off of Evan Mobley and Jared Allen, and you get a guy that can do all of that. Then you get him on a veteran minimum, you consider the Cleveland Cavaliers salary situation. It is what it is. Taj Jerome, that’s my guy. That’s my boy. And that was a fun story last year. I really don’t know what went into the whole Sam Merrill over Todd Jerome saga. You know, Todd Jerome said that the Cleveland Cavaliers never really made an offer. We talked about it today on the show. You know, Kobe Alman said at the end of last season that resigner was the top priority. So, the truth clearly lies somewhere in the middle. Before we get to this, the last point on on Immani Bates, I’ll say this, people that’s closer to the situation to me believes that Immani Bates can hoop, but he can’t play basketball. And the Cleveland Cavaliers had a vision of a style of play to help him be a complimentary piece on this team.
And Immani in this camp had a different vision of what that looked like.
And so I think part of developing players in the NBA, you got to have a solid plan for said player, but said player also has to buy in to what that plan is for you. So hopefully Bates gets an opportunity to show what he can do in another organization. maybe this situation uh with him getting a fresh start will be another motivating motivational factor for him and you know all well that ends well but I do agree with you that’s a very talented young man it’s just unfortunate things that didn’t turn out you know the way that we kind of thought it would here in Cleveland uh but speaking of last season this is Donovan Mitchell talking about last season coming to an abrupt end
you said this one more so than the others why
I think for me because you look at the way the regular season went you look at the way things were were stacked up. I think for me um it was just in my mind it was like this is supposed to like you know and that everybody says like you want to make God laugh tell him your plans and like you know what I mean like that was my plan like all right cool 60 games we on these win streaks all right cool this is
I’m not saying we took anything for granted at all by any means but I said like this it just felt like this was that time you know what I mean I think everybody can agree with that so I think that’s why when it ended so abruptly like even the summer like I didn’t have any plans like I didn’t have
I didn’t know what to do like you know what I mean like so um that’s why I think I found myself like even though I was moving around and and different things I found myself still just sitting there just trying to process like that we don’t play tomorrow like you know what I mean like that and I was in Cleveland for about a week after just and usually after the season I fly out right I have to go back home I just I couldn’t leave cuz it was just like there’s there’s no way like you know what I mean and totally
you know what I mean and I think that’s it’s ultimately going to fuel me you know what I mean I’m at that point now where I’ve accepted it and now I’m using it you know to work but it’s definitely one of those especially when you have a year like that as a group you’re like yeah this is this is special as Taylor Rooks uh sitting down with Donovan Mitchell courtesy of Bleacher Report I remember I worked at game five at at Rocket Arena and you know when you’re a media member You arrive two hours before the game start. You’re typically there about an hour and a half, two hours after the game ends. Uh typically within that hour, hour and a half time span, what happens is the players go back to the locker room, they change clothes, get dressed, they complete their media obligations, everybody go home from the night. This particular game, Donovan Mitchell went right back on the court after everybody cleared out and he sat there. When I was leaving, Donovan Mitchell was still in his Cleveland Cavaliers uniform. Uh G Bush pointed out today that Donovan was the only guy that went back out there and and sat on that bench to take in the moment. And to hear him talk about how that particular loss fueled him and how he’s using that to get ready for this upcoming season is just another feather in his cap of being the leader of this team and a flatout dog. Man,
he’s everything he said in that interview is what you want to hear. Like even him talking about like how the distraction of whether he will be in Cleveland or somewhere else. Like I love that conversation because he was like I wanted to be here. I knew I was going to be here. Alman knew I was going to be here. Co like everybody knew I was going to be here but the distraction of it made it hard for me. He made it hard for my teammates to answer those questions. He’s somebody that wants to be in Cleveland. And as it went, as he went on to talk, he’s like, you know, it’s going to be different between us. U us winning a championship is different than Brian. Like I I can’t do what he did. I can’t do what him and Kyrie put together, but we got to put our own thing together, right? And I’m with you. I think this really motivated him. This really put a few under his fire. He already is one of the best players in the league. He already had a motivating something in him cuz he went out there performed every single night. Um he was never the issue night to night. He had some streak streaky shooting at times, right? but he was never the issue night to night. He was able to go out there and ball. So to hear that from your leader, to hear that from somebody that wants to be here, to hear that from your best player on your team, it gets me fired up cuz I know he’s going to be prepared next season. He’s going to make sure the guys are prepared for next season. Um, so that was it. Honestly, that whole interview was awesome to hear, man. To sit down, just relax and for him to be upset and say, “Man, I I ain’t have no plans. I was planning on playing.” We all were. We all were, Earl. Like, we expected them to go on far in the playoffs to the to the, you know, it was two weeks ago. In my mind,
I’m working all the way through June. I I I didn’t have no plans on my schedule either. I know that the Cleveland Cavaliers play at least twice a week. I understand what my obligations is. So, I’m not making no plans because there’s no reason why we’re not playing in the NBA finals. And so for things to not go the way that they thought and we thought as a fan base, that was a tough gut punch. But I like cool stories. Excuse me. And I like storylines. Coming into this year is the 10 year anniversary of the last championship. Oh yeah.
And me and you both know the word says, man, humility before honor. So, all I’m saying is this is the group, core group that’s been together three or four seasons now, and they have yet to reach the promised land, but they continue to go through adversity. Donovan said he felt like this team took a huge step forward this year. It’ll be interesting to see how motivated everybody is. You talk about the leadership standpoint and you know I had a conversation with with Spider off the record and he talked about how he appreciated how the this particular group allowed him to lead and you know for him to make the sacrifices he made in particular for those guys to be greater. I thought it was profound. One of those guys being Evan Mobley. And in this next clip, he’s gonna talk about what the assignment given to him from Kenny Atinson was go prior to last season, but also this off season going into next season. Take a listen to this. That’s what that was. But Kenny came up to me and was like, “Hey, like try to get push Evan Moy and even more so next year. Push Ev, push Ev, push Ev.” Um, you know, E has the potential, man. And he’s continuing to take that rise and I’m glad he said it. Like they asked who the next face of the league was in five years and he said himself in WBY. I love that. Yeah. You know what I mean? And now
my push to is um I need 20 shots. But he has to go and say that like give me the ball like you know me like be able to demand like you know what I mean? But I I was the same way as him. Like I was a little more demonstrative than he was.
But like being comfortable in that space, you know, that cuz
what comes from that is fair success and and praise, but also criticism. You know, I’m glad one of his teammates said it and I’m glad it was Donovan in particular. Now, he went on to say furthermore in that clip that, you know, uh, and check out that interview. I thought it was a fire interview. how Evan does need to be more demanding and more vocal and how he understands because Evan is quiet like it’s going to be hard for that to be you know a thing but you have to be become comfortable being uncomfortable and to hear Donovan say this man needs to become a 20 shot per game night like 20 shot a night dude that we all believe that’s the only way that the Cleveland Cavaliers is going to accomplish the feat of of winning an NBA championship is if one Evan Moley continues to uh develop. And me and you did a show probably about a month and a half ago where I said, you know, if you’re asking Evan Moy to be somebody he’s not, be that guy. Hey, give me the rock. I need that. If you’re asking him to be that, I kind of felt like, okay, well, you’re asking Evan to be somebody he’s not, and if he’s not comfortable being uncomfortable, that can become a problem. But hearing Donovan speak on it, it’s kind of changed my view a little bit because maybe it’s not a problem. Like look at it more so as a challenge. This is a challenge for you to take that next step in the evolution of what should be one of the two one of the one or two best players in the NBA in the next five years. What was your thought process on what Donovan had to say about Evan Mo?
Now let me ask you this. In that in that video you just showed. Donovan said that Evan said in the next five years he sees him face he sees himself
and he said that I think they asked him that around the Allstar All-Star weekend and he and he answered that question.
So to me that shows that tells me he knows he’s that dude. Now it’s about like Donovan was saying getting that dog out of him right getting him to believe truly believe it. Don’t just say it. Let’s go out there and do it right. So, I love the challenge that that that the coach gave Donovan like, “All right, now we got to get him get to the next level. Not just this past year, but next year as well.” And then and the year after that and the year like we got to get the most out of him. And for Donovan, the best player on the team to be like, “Hey, I need him to take 20 shots next.” That’s a big deal. Yeah.
Like I I don’t know if I’ve heard a superstar say, “Hey, I need him to take 20 shots next year.” 20 shots a game. Like that that that’s a big deal because that could be taking something out of his pocket, right? That could be not his pocket, excuse me. that take away one or two of his touches, right? But he sees the whole grand scheme of things like, “Hey, like you mentioned earlier, we’re only going to get to the top
if you can take us there.
I can take us this far, but we need you to come on too.” And especially you have the ability to do it and everybody sees it now. It’s just about getting it out of him. Um, it it can be a special time. So, I’m I love what I’m hearing from Donovan. Um, and he knows it and he sees it. There’s no jealousy there. This pure I just want to win. I love that guy. I love my teammate. I want the best for him and he can do it. How can I help get him get the most out of him? That’s that’s what you want to see from your leaders, man.
Uh, one last thing on that. He did say in his interview that him and Evan has talked this off season and he kind of gave this look that, you know, for show Evan is ready to

Donovan Mitchell recently opened up about his expectations for Evan Mobley, and he didn’t hold back. According to Mitchell, Mobley is “just scratching the surface” on offense and needs to take the next step by becoming more assertive and demanding the ball. While Mobley’s defensive impact is already elite, Mitchell is now publicly challenging him to expand his offensive game and become a true two-way force for the Cavaliers.

This isn’t just motivational talk—it’s a clear message from the team’s leader. Mitchell referenced Mobley’s strong showing in the playoffs and believes the young big man has the tools to dominate both ends of the floor. In this segment, we react to Mitchell’s comments, what they mean for Mobley’s development, and why this evolution could be the key to the Cavs making a deeper postseason run in 2026.

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