Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Donovan Mitchell's playoff struggles continue, failing to reach conference finals again.
- Mitchell's teams, Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers, exited in second round twice.
- Shaquille O'Neal's critique of Mitchell's leadership remains relevant, despite his All-Star status.
SALT LAKE CITY — Another early exit in the playoffs for Donovan Mitchell and his team is making a Hall of Fame center look clairvoyant.
Twice in the last five seasons as the focal point of the offense, Mitchell has played on teams (Utah Jazz in 2021 and Cleveland Cavaliers in 2025) that went out in the second round. Both times his team had earned the No.1 seed for finishing with the best record in their respective conferences.
Carrying the banner as the team's best player, even if it was debatable, Mitchell was expected to lead his teammates in the conference finals. Through eight seasons in the NBA, the All-Star guard has yet to reach either conference final.
Not to intimate Mitchell is solely responsible for each postseason ousting, but it does appear he is not the type of player capable of leading his team to an NBA championship. The sentiment Shaquille O'Neal voiced in an awkward postgame television interview with Mitchell four years ago so far is accurate.
"I said tonight that you are one of my favorite players, but you don't have what it takes to get to the next level," O'Neal told Mitchell shortly after the Utah Jazz beat the New Orleans Pelicans in January 2021.
In that home game Mitchell had produced an outstanding stat line of 36 points, seven rebounds and five assists. In going 6-of-8 on 3-point shots, the then-24-year-old guard became the fastest player to make 600 3-pointers in NBA history.
Normally, the situation would call for the interviewer to praise the player during the on-court interview after the fantastic performance. Instead, O'Neal drew criticism for his statement that many considered rude for its timing.
Mitchell shrugged it off, saying he didn't want the comments to overshadow the Jazz win. But teammates took up his cause after learning of the interview.
"I've been a big fan of Don's and seeing the way he's grown, even before he was here," Mike Conley said at the time. "I don't know how you can make a statement like that regarding his progress at such a young age. He's gotten better every year."
At the time, Mitchell was averaging 24.3 points and shooting 40.8% from 3-point distance during his fourth season. He also was dishing out a career high 4.9 assists per game.
Rallying around one of their own, NBA stars Kevin Durant and LeBron James defended Mitchell. James wrote on social media: "There's a difference between constructive criticism and soft hating though. I've seen it both ways come my way, mostly the hate. You can hear it in their delivery."
Yet, years later, Mitchell still is dogged by playoff disappointment. No doubt he's an excellent player, even a perennial All-Star, but to date his resume has a significant absence.
This season with the Cleveland Cavaliers resembled the 2020-21 season with the Jazz, with each team entering the playoffs with high aspirations. Cleveland lost in the second round to the Indiana Pacers 4-1, losing all three home games.
Five seasons ago, the Jazz lost in the second round to the Los Angeles Clippers 4-2. The loss was made more painful by the fact Clippers star Kawhi Leonard missed half the series with an injury.
The Jazz, who had a 2-0 lead in the series, led by 22 points through two quarters in Game 6 only to watch journeyman Terance Mann bury them by repeatedly making 3-pointers in the comeback. Mitchell matched Mann with 39 points to go with nine rebounds and nine assists in 40 minutes.
Cleveland, which battled injuries to key players, had more of an excuse in losing to the Pacers. Mitchell was one of those players, dealing with an ankle injury during the series.
As he always did with the Jazz, Mitchell owned up to his media responsibilities in Cleveland.
In his exit interview with reporters, he said: "I told you all during the year, we're going to be judged by this. There will be a lot of talk; that's what comes with it. Didn't capitalize. Show we've got to use this as motivation. Everybody's going to write us off, everybody in here.
"It's not personal, (but) what are going to do about it next year?"
Unless something changes, the ending might stay the same.
