Donovan Mitchell says he's playing the best basketball of his career

Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers is the reigning NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week. It is further testament to what he believes is the high level of play he is producing in the ongoing campaign.

The six-time All-Star, now playing in Northeast Ohio for a fourth year, was named the best player in the East for the week of November 17 to 23 after averaging 31.8 points (second in the conference), 6.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 34 minutes of action while helping the Cavaliers to a 3-1 record.

The honor made "Spida" only the second player in the team's history to win Eastern Conference player of the week six or more times, behind LeBron James, who won it on 42 occasions.

In an interview with Cleveland.com earlier this month, Mitchell shared that he had already put in the work as early as the offseason and made it his goal to improve his game further. He is pleased that his efforts are bearing fruit.

"I feel like I'm at my best right now, efficiency-wise ...I think I am, and I just gotta be consistent with it all year," the 29-year-old shooting guard said.

Striking a balance

Mitchell has been on a tear on offense, averaging career-highs of 29.9 points, on 50.3% shooting, and 5.5 assists through 17 games. He is also averaging 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals and a 38.3% clip from three.

More telling is how he has been producing his numbers, which has seen him do it with a lot of control most of the time, taking charge when needed, but does not hesitate to give way to others to strike a solid balance.

Such demeanor this season has fellow All-Star teammate Darius Garland very upbeat.

"The Spida that we know, MVP that we know, first team All-NBA that we know that he should be every year. We really need that to go forward, and he's starting to realize that. But he also wants us to do our thing as well. So it's a give-and-take type of thing with Don, but we really need Don to go be Don," Garland said.

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Learning from last season

Also providing added motivation for Mitchell to do well for the Cavaliers this season are the bitter lessons they were handed in the playoffs last time around.

Cleveland finished last season with the best record in the East at 64-18 and was widely regarded as NBA Finals-bound. They swept the Miami Heat, 4-0, in the opening round but were upset by the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers in the conference semifinals, 4-1.

Mitchell believed that collectively they bogged down in the playoffs and does not want a repeat of that this season.

"That's what last year's playoffs really taught me. If you have to continue to drive full court, every single possession, you're gonna tire out. You won't be efficient. And I don't just mean scoring, overall, as a basketball player. So I think for me, just finding different ways to score, different ways to be a threat, and then that opens up everything else," he shared.

The Cavaliers (12–7) have been right back in the mix this season, even though injuries have kept them from having their full core for most of the campaign. And with Mitchell, more motivated and armed with an added perspective to go about his game, the team is sure to be kept an eye on by the rest of the field.

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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.