Donovan Mitchell has reached the playoffs in all eight seasons of his NBA career, logging 63 games. Despite that consistency, he has never made it to the Conference Finals. It’s getting to the point where some are starting to question whether he can ever be the leading option on a championship team. The noise from critics grows louder each day.
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One of those critics is 17-year NBA veteran Eddie Johnson. The 66-year-old recently joined SiriusXM NBA Radio to talk about how he views Mitchell heading into the 2025/26 season.
On the show, the host, Justin Termine, declared that Spida will only be judged for the rest of his career on playoff success. Johnson couldn’t disagree, especially considering the fact that Mitchell had just made the All-NBA first team, after leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 64-18 record in the East. Expectations will now be much higher.
“When you make first team All-NBA, I guess you’re judged at a higher rate,” Johnson stated.
Mitchell and the Cavaliers looked like one of the favorites to win the Championship after their stellar regular season. But they lost to the eventual finalists Indiana Pacers, in five games in the semi-finals. Johnson, as a result, wondered if that was as far as Mitchell could carry the team himself.
“But I think maybe this is as far as he can go, in regard to how he can carry. Sometimes when you get to that point, then you look to your left and right, and you say, ‘Okay, can he carry? Can he carry?’” the former Phoenix Suns man added.
At the end of the day, Mitchell has plenty of support at his side already. Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen have become established second and third options, while Evan Mobley is still ascending into a superstar.
“When [does Donovan Mitchell] give in and say, okay, maybe I’m the secondary guy?”
@TermineRadio and @JumpShot8 on the pressure ahead for the Cavs star this season. pic.twitter.com/pWiDAMOieu— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) October 15, 2025
With this in mind, Johnson questioned if it’s time for Mitchell to admit he’s not the primary scoring option anymore.
“Like, when do you give in and say, ‘Okay, I’m maybe the secondary guy,’ Instead of being The Guy. I think that’s the battle that he deals with, because he hasn’t had the success to go all the way, like Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] just did,” Johnson shared.
Give credit to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as his championship has raised a lot of questions about established NBA vets and their chances to ever win a title. But it’s a legitimate question that needs to be asked. Can Mitchell be the primary scorer on a championship team?
That’s why Johnson advises Mitchell to hand the spotlight over to Mobley. “So, give in. And what I mean by that, give in to Evan Mobley. Give in to him. Everybody has done that.”
Ever since getting to Cleveland, Mitchell’s points per game have steadily decreased each season, dropping from 28.3 in 2022–23 to 26.6 in 2023–24, and 25.1 in 2024–25. Meanwhile, Mobley’s scoring has gradually increased, climbing from 14.3 to 16.4 to 18.2 over the same stretch.
It might be time for Mitchell to cede more work to the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. But we’ll see if that’s actually the case.
After all, Mitchell has always thrived as the primary scoring option. It’s what he does best. And let’s not forget he was just named to the All-NBA First Team, proof that his performance last season was still elite. So while Johnson believes it’s time for Mobley to take the spotlight, we think Mitchell still holds a vital role as the guy for the Cavs, at least until someone truly proves otherwise.
