4. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Last summer, Donovan Mitchell was the big story as the Utah Jazz elected to trade him to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a historic haul. Utah decided it was time to move on from the Mitchell-Rudy Gobert duo, and completely hit the reset button. Mitchell, who was already playing at a star level, was given a fresh start that he probably needed at that point in his career.
Mitchell used the fresh start, along with the chip on his shoulder, to turn in the best season of his career thus far. Mitchell averaged 28 points, four rebounds, and four assists per game this past season in Cleveland.
Mitchell is still just 27 years old and is probably entering the core years of his prime. I wouldn’t say that he’s getting better but there’s no question that you can make the argument that he hasn’t put together his best seasons to date. Part of that is winning and part of that is also just clicking on every level with his new teammates in Cleveland. There is much intrigue heading into the season for Mitchell and the Cavs, and it’s easy to see why.