CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers are arguably the hottest team in the NBA at the moment, with star guard Donovan Mitchell predictably leading the way.
While many feel the team's efforts have gone largely unnoticed across the national basketball landscape, that was not the case on Thursday, as Mitchell was honored as the league's Eastern Conference Player of the Month. It's just the second such award for the 27-year-old, who previously earned the Western Conference achievement in December of 2021 while playing for the Utah Jazz.
Across 13 games this January, "Spida" averaged 28.6 points, 7.6 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. Cleveland went a stellar 11-2 in those contests, all despite being without Darius Garland and Evan Mobley for the majority of the time.
Mitchell's stretch was highlighted by three double-doubles and six 30-point efforts, including two games where he matched his uniform number with 45. The first of those performances came overseas in a Jan. 11 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in Paris, while the second occurred just this past Wednesday as the Cavs hung on to beat the Detroit Pistons 128-121.
With Garland and Mobley still adjusting in their return to the lineup and the Cavaliers actually trailing the NBA's worst team in the fourth quarter, Mitchell took over, scoring 20 of his 45 points in the final period on 6 of 10 shooting. He also finished the night with six 3-pointers and a pair of steals, adding to his East-leading total of 69 (1.9 per game).
While Mitchell has been just as good if not better than his inaugural season in Cleveland a year ago, he was still a notable snub from the Eastern Conference's starting All-Star lineup, being passed over in favor of the legendary Damian Lillard (now in Milwaukee) and up-and-coming Indiana point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Mitchell is, however, considered a prime candidate to snag a reserve spot when they are announced Thursday night, and it would be the fifth such selection of his career.
Meanwhile, the Cavs enter today ranked fourth in the East and are just 1 1/2 games behind the second-seeded Bucks. Of Cleveland's next eight games, only two will comes against teams with records currently over .500.