The Cleveland Cavaliers are listing Donovan Mitchell as their starting point guard tonight against the Detroit Pistons. Cleveland’s roster is a bit more shorthanded than usual, with Lonzo Ball listed as OUT due to left knee management, alongside an already absent Darius Garland, who continues to rehab a left toe injury.
The Cavaliers didn’t have many options outside of Mitchell, who has served as the team’s primary ball-handler since his arrival in Cleveland. Head coach Kenny Atkinson could have turned to rookie Tyrese Proctor or given Craig Porter Jr. the nod, but instead chose to slide Mitchell to the point, with Sam Merrill and De’Andre Hunter rounding out the wings. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley will continue to anchor the frontcourt.
Mitchell will look to attack his matchup against Cade Cunningham, who was initially listed as questionable before being upgraded to available after dealing with multiple body contusions. Mitchell is aiming to bounce back following a poor shooting night against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, when he shot 9-of-20 from the field and just 1-of-8 from beyond the arc. He still finished the 118–113 win with 24 points and four assists and will look to keep that momentum rolling.
Both the Cavaliers and the Pistons enter tonight’s matchup with 2–1 records, each coming off wins over Eastern Conference rivals. Detroit will still be without Jaden Ivey, Marcus Sasser, and Caris LeVert, all listed as OUT. With both teams forced to dig deeper into their benches, it should make for a gritty early-season battle.
As for Mitchell, the 2024–25 All-NBA First Team guard should be primed for a big scoring night.
