Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell gets roasted by Kendrick Perkins

Donovan Mitchell has turned the Cleveland Cavaliers into a playoff team again after the departure of LeBron James ahead of the 2018-2019 season. However, pundits still don’t fully trust that the dynamic scorer can lead the team past the second round, having lost last season to the eventual champions Boston Celtics in five games. For instance, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins roasted Donovan Mitchell on NBA Today on Wednesday, questioning whether he can be the face of the Cavs’ quest for playoff glory.

“Look, I love everything about Donovan Mitchell’s game,” Perkins said on the show, via NBA on ESPN on X, formerly Twitter. “I think he’s a great talent, but I completely disagree with you [for as far as] him being a Top 10 talent. I can’t see that. As a matter of fact, I wanna ask this question: Is he a 1A?”

.@KendrickPerkins says Donovan Mitchell isn’t a Top-10 player in the NBA

“Is he a 1A? Can he take a team to the promised land? … I definitely don’t have him in my Top-10.” pic.twitter.com/YR0CyTSBJK

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 25, 2024

Kendrick Perkins’ burning questions

© Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

How could Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers answer Kendrick Perkins’ brutal roasting on national television? The ESPN analyst went in further on the shooting guard.

“Is he a 1A? That’s what I’m asking. Can he take a team to the promised land? I put him in the same category as I do with a guy like Trae Young… If you look at his career numbers right now, he’s 25 points per game for his career, a little bit over 9 assists, for his career,” Perkins said.

In terms of postseason success, the former Boston Celtics big man was right. Young is as potent a scorer as Mitchell, but he has reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, whereas the Cavs guard hasn’t gotten past the second round since his tenure with the Utah Jazz.

“Again, you have to take that leap before we start putting guys in certain conversations, and I don’t feel like Donovan Mitchell is in that Top 10 conversation right now. I definitely don’t have him in my Top 10,” Perkins added.

Still, Mitchell is one of the NBA’s top scorers, which is why the Cavs extended him to a three-year, $150-million contract in the offseason.

It’s his primary responsibility on a team that doesn’t have as much firepower as, say, the Celtics or the Philadelphia 76ers but relies on the length and defense versatility of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley to shut the opponents down.

Outlook for the Cavs

As constructed, the team might have a long way to go before they can enter the same tier as the East’s top contenders like the Celtics or the Bucks (when healthy).

The Cavs extended both Allen and Mobley to long-term contracts, cementing the team’s identity as a defense-first team, similar in a way to Mitchell’s old Jazz teams with Rudy Gobert anchoring the paint.

So, given the team’s makeup, it might make fans wonder what Perkins wants Mitchell to do when he has executed his main role for the team. Offensively, he is the main guy, though that might not be enough against the Celtics of the world.

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