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Donovan Mitchell looks to reach the Conference Finals for the first time in his career against Detroit.<\/p>\n
Editor\u2019s Note: Read more NBA coverage from The Athletic\u00a0here<\/a>. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n Every Sunday, he\u2019d watch his mother, and his grandmother, prepare the coconut. He\u2019d watch how precisely, how intensely, they\u2019d shave each piece with a grater for arroz con gandules, rice and pigeon peas, the Panamanian version, one of his grandmother\u2019s best dishes. A nod to their heritage. His grandmother never wrote down the recipe; never needed to.<\/p>\n When Donovan Mitchell, then a young boy, would wake, he sensed the commotion in the kitchen. The chopping, the blending; he saw how no detail was left unattended. There were no short cuts, either. His grandmother could have bought frozen coconut milk, but instead she insisted on buying a fresh coconut each time, cracking it open and saving the water, then manually grating inside the coconut. She\u2019d place the shavings into a blender, mix and drain it, using her hands to squeeze out all the milk, and then place that in the rice. Watching the blade hit the coconut, again and again, Donovan saw that one could not have sweetness without work \u2014 a lesson learned.<\/p>\n And now, years later, approaching 30 at the peak of his NBA career, he still thinks about his late grandmother. \u201cShe had it rough. She came from Panama,\u201d Mitchell says. \u201cShe raised a family of three by herself \u2026 No one believed in her.\u201d<\/p>\n She came to the States on her own, full of hope. Raising her family on her own in Brooklyn, she worked long hours as a nurse to move her family to a better neighborhood in Dobbs Ferry, New York. \u201cOne obstacle after another,\u201d says Nicole Mitchell, Mitchell\u2019s mother. \u201cMy mom\u2019s mindset was just, \u2018I have something to conquer. This is just not it. This is good, but this is not it.\u2019\u201d Grandma pushed herself to finish her undergraduate degree with high honors and even earn a master\u2019s at Fordham University with high honors.<\/p>\n Nicole pauses. I have something to conquer. This is good, but this is not it. The words sound familiar. \u201cIt\u2019s so interesting,\u201d Nicole says, \u201cbecause that\u2019s Don\u2019s mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n Mitchell has enjoyed a successful NBA career by conventional standards. At 29, he\u2019s been a seven-time All-Star and made All-NBA First Team for the first time in 2025. He is one of the league\u2019s handful of superstars. And yet, there is still something missing. Something that all-time greats are undoubtedly judged for at the end of their careers: a championship.<\/p>\n Mitchell has never made it past the second round, both with the Cavs and with the Utah Jazz, where he played from 2017-22. He is fighting to make it out of the first round, entering a Game 7 against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. The absence of a deep playoff run \u2014 let alone a title \u2014 motivates him, and reminds him of D.O.N., his slogan, Determination Over Negativity. \u201cAs great and as much as I have done in the league, I still think there\u2019s a narrative of like, oh, you know, I haven\u2019t made it out \u2014 well, it\u2019s not a narrative, it\u2019s a fact \u2014 I haven\u2019t made it out of the second round, right? And there is, you know, is he good enough? Is he this or that? Determination Over Negativity still applies to this day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStill trying to fight, still trying to find a way,\u201d he continues, \u201cand not letting the noise dictate my every day.\u201d<\/p>\n He spends more hours on the court, in the weight room, in the film room, than even his coaches expect. He remembers those childhood Sundays. The coconut. His grandmother.<\/p>\n Her drive is his drive.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s where it comes from,\u201d Mitchell says.<\/p>\n Mitchell arrives about 30 minutes early to morning shootaround in Utah for the first of a back-to-back against the Jazz in late March. And he is one of the last to leave, still launching jumpshots long after most of his teammates prepare to exit the arena.<\/p>\n Maybe a part of him needs to stay on this court. Not just to shoot, but to remember. Remember who he was, back when he was here, navigating his first five years in the league after being drafted No. 13 overall out of Louisville. And although he has been back to Salt Lake City many times since being traded to the Cavs in September 2022, it is still a strange yet comforting feeling, coming back to the same place as a different person. A more mature, more seasoned veteran.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is still kind of special, coming back,\u201d Mitchell says on this March morning. \u201cIt\u2019s been a few years, but when you enter this building and see this court, it brings back memories.\u201d Even more meaningful, his fiance\u00e9, singer Coco Jones, made the trip. He showed her around the day before. Being here reminded him of how far he has come. \u201cTo see me grow up, you know what I mean?\u201d Mitchell says. \u201cTo see how much I\u2019ve changed \u2014 in a good way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was kind of shook by it,\u201d he says. How quickly time passes. He is far from the innocent rookie who called his mother the first day in Utah, stunned: \u201cMa! There\u2019s not a piece of garbage on the street!\u201d (New York felt like a different universe). He is far from the young player who saw some random Jazz fans online posting about having a BBQ pool party. Mitchell just showed up without security.<\/p>\n And he is certainly far from the child he used to be, the one that his grandmother called \u201cPapi Chulo.\u201d The one who would jump on top of her coffee table and dance, using her pots and pans and a wooden stick to drum as loud as he could. Mitchell still drums to this day, but basketball stole his heart, despite being the son of a former Minor League Baseball player, Donovan Sr., who worked in various roles with the Mets. Even though Donovan didn\u2019t end up pursuing baseball, as a young boy he had superstitions, as many baseball players do. He was so sure that if he played well with certain socks, he\u2019d have to wear that same sock \u2014 no matter how stinky or dirty \u2014 because he was sure it would make him successful.<\/p>\n The more he reflects, the more his mind turns back to the present. To winning. Mitchell led the Jazz to five-straight playoff appearances, including dropping 45 in Game 1 of the 2021 Western Conference semifinals. \u201cTo remember, like, man, certain moments you know you\u2019re hitting shots, you\u2019re getting stops, the arena\u2019s loud,\u201d Mitchell says. \u201cJust knowing what the city felt like while we were contending and doing our thing.\u201d<\/p>\n He wants to feel that feeling again \u2013 badly. And perhaps no one understands that desire, or has witnessed his growth more closely, than Johnnie Bryant, Cavs associate head coach, who has been with Mitchell since his rookie year with the Jazz. Back when Mitchell wasn\u2019t as confident, sometimes wondering: Am I good enough? \u201cI [didn\u2019t] really know who I was,\u201d Mitchell says. The two would work out early in the morning and late into the night, as Mitchell built his confidence, rep after rep, learning to trust his enoughness \u2014 to trust his work.<\/p>\n He trusts that work even more today as he chases that elusive championship. \u201cI know what I put into this game,\u201d Mitchell says. \u201cI\u2019m not seeing the results pay out, right? Even though I haven\u2019t been to the finals or the conference finals, I know who I am as a player. I know what I can be, and at some point in time, my time is going to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n Bryant has seen Mitchell\u2019s work ethic first-hand. \u201cHis drive is his superpower,\u201d Bryant says. \u201cHis attention to detail. His ability to push himself outside of his comfort zone. \u2026 He\u2019s always asking questions, always trying to figure out ways to get better.\u201d Part of that process, Bryant says, is making himself even more uncomfortable. To attain something he never has had before, Mitchell has to do things differently than he ever has before.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was successful right away, right? Individual success,\u201d Bryant says. \u201cHuman nature is like, \u2018OK, well, I\u2019ve done this, therefore, I should be able to accomplish X, Y, and Z next.\u2019 And it doesn\u2019t work that way. Winning is hard. Winning is hard in this league \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cLast year, we had the best record in the league and didn\u2019t guarantee that we\u2019re gonna be in the conference finals [The Cavs fell to the Pacers in Game 5 of the Conference Semifinals] So, you look at the best players who have played this game, some of them have never reached the Finals, right? That\u2019s the ultimate challenge to understand, like you have to continue to work, you have to continue to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n But other things have to come together, too. Luck. Health. Four other starters and a deep bench. \u201cIt\u2019s not always you,\u201d Bryant continues. \u201cThere\u2019s certain moments where it\u2019s like, \u2018Hey Donovan, you know what, I know you can go score 70 points in an NBA game, but we may need you to score 10 tonight and get 15 assists. Are you OK doing that?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, winning may look differently,\u201d Bryant says. \u201cEverybody says they want to win, but a lot of people want to win on their own terms, right? And I\u2019m not saying Donovan is one of those guys that want to on his own terms \u2014 meaning it has to go through him. I think he\u2019s had enough individual success in his career to where it\u2019s like, he knows he needs help.\u201d He\u2019s welcomed that support, namely with the addition of James Harden at this year\u2019s trade deadline. \u201cWe\u2019re in a position now with the team that we have to make a run,\u201d Bryant says.<\/p>\n Mitchell\u2019s teammates praise his positivity, his selflessness. The way he stands in his customary spot in the corner of the locker room, encouraging rather than berating teammates, at halftime, as he did during a game earlier this year, when the Cavs struggled to score in the second quarter, telling teammates they needed to pick things up. It rallied everyone in a positive way. That is the kind of leadership he hopes to bring to the postseason.<\/p>\n As Mitchell heads to the loading dock, to hop on the team bus to go back to the team hotel, he can see snow-capped mountains in the distance. His old life, and the life he lives now. The regular season is winding down and the playoffs are near. He has been trying to strike the right balance between the present and the future, asking himself: \u201cHow do I find the way to push the guys around me?\u201d Mitchell says. \u201cHow do I find a way to inspire, to lead? But to also be better myself?\u201d<\/p>\n There is a brightness among Cavs players \u2014 an optimism that was not as palpable earlier in the season, when Cleveland struggled with injuries and dropping supposedly easy games. \u201cDon\u2019s always kept the belief in us,\u201d backup center Thomas Bryant says.<\/p>\n There is a cohesion, a playfulness, to the group, too. Mitchell and guard Sam Merrill are always trying to beat head coach Kenny Atkinson to the facility. \u201cThey\u2019re basketball geeks,\u201d Atkinson says of the duo. \u201cDesperate for improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n The rest of the team shares that same mentality. \u201cAll of our heads are in the right place,\u201d big man Evan Mobley says. Adding Harden has helped ease some pressure on Mitchell. \u201cTo have two superstars where you can alternate like that is huge,\u201d Atkinson says, regarding the minutes the two of them share. \u201cDon, he\u2019s so comfortable in this rotation right now. Where he comes in, comes out. He doesn\u2019t really have to force anything. James helps with that\u2026 It\u2019s just a serenity. A balance to them playing together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s helped Donovan and I think it\u2019s helped our team,\u201d Atkinson says. \u201cWe\u2019re more calm and poised.\u201d<\/p>\n Mitchell has always been a vocal leader, but has made it a point to be even more so this year. \u201cFor most of my time in Cleveland, I\u2019m one of the oldest, so it\u2019s like being able to be a Rudy [Gobert], be a Joe [Ingles], be a Ricky [Rubio], be a Mike [Conley], right?\u201d Mitchell says, reflecting on the leaders he had learned from during his Jazz tenure. \u201cI found myself, especially my first two years here in Cleveland, saying things that they said to me \u2026 Just being able to use what I\u2019ve gained from my teammates here in Utah and [say] \u2018Hey, this is what I see we can be better, not just on the court, right, just in life \u2014 as a human.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n He often reaches out to teammates and reminds them why he values their contributions. Last summer, Jaylon Tyson, a second-year guard, remembers his phone buzzing at 8 a.m. It was a text message from Mitchell. Although it was summertime, a sour feeling lingered from the series loss to the Pacers.<\/p>\n \u201cYo, I believe in you,\u201d Mitchell wrote. \u201cYou\u2019re gonna get opportunities here.\u201d Mitchell told him about the ways that Tyson can help the team, and how he could maximize his potential. It shocked Tyson \u2014 the expressed belief Mitchell has in him. Tyson is averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists this season. True to Bryant\u2019s advice, Mitchell has been empowering him \u2014 and others. \u201cI\u2019m going to set a screen for you. Go be aggressive,\u201d Mitchell often says to Tyson.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a superstar, you\u2019re not setting those screens for nobody,\u201d Tyson says. But Mitchell is a different kind of superstar; one who is still evolving and still figuring out how he can bring the best out of everybody. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t take his teammates for granted,\u201d guard Dennis Schr\u00f6der says. \u201cThat\u2019s really special.\u201d<\/p>\n Mitchell is also willing to look within, often taking responsibility for shortcomings. He\u2019s far more likely to call out cursing himself in timeouts. \u201cAlmost every game he\u2019s saying something about what he needs to do better,\u201d Merrill says. \u201cAny time he\u2019s trying to get after the whole team he always turns to himself. It\u2019s like, \u2018Dude. You\u2019re the face of the franchise. It\u2019s OK to just yell at us occasionally,\u2019 but that\u2019s just the kind of person he is.\u201d<\/p>\n After the gutting playoff elimination loss to the Pacers, the Cavs weren\u2019t planning on speaking with media the following day. But Mitchell came up to the Cavs PR staff and was adamant that each player show up. He did, too, sending the message: no one is above this. \u201cI think that\u2019s pretty unique, looking at himself first, looking in the mirror first, and see what he can do better,\u201d Schr\u00f6der says.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t easy. Mitchell heard the noise around him: Donovan can\u2019t even get out of the second round. But it is his ability to look at loss \u2014 look at failure \u2014 and walk toward it rather than retreat. To ask himself: \u201cWhat could I have done better?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLosing is the best teacher,\u201d Bryant says. Like other playoff losses, Mitchell wouldn\u2019t let it deter him. \u201cHe takes it very hard,\u201d Nicole says. \u201cHe goes into a little funk and then he snaps out of it,\u201d Nicole says. \u201cLike, OK, it\u2019s time to prepare. \u2026 He bounced back and went to work.\u201d<\/p>\n He spent hours each day with Murphy Grant, his long-time trainer and assistant athletic trainer with the Cavs, pushing himself to exhaustion. Day after day, they\u2019d do drills that simulate game situations, putting the kind of load on Mitchell\u2019s body that he\u2019ll take each night in trying to break free from a defender for a shot. He\u2019ll do eight single arm shoulder presses with a 50-pound dumbbell, while standing on one leg, then run a suicide, for four sets. \u201cHis dedication to work is like no one that I\u2019ve ever been around,\u201d Murphy says. \u201cThere\u2019s times [where I say], \u2018Everyone is doing this.\u2019 And he said early on, when we first got together: \u2018I\u2019m not like everyone.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n His teammates can sense that even in film sessions. \u201cHe notices every single detail,\u201d says center Jarrett Allen. \u201cHe says, I should\u2019ve done this, that\u2019s my bad.\u201d<\/p>\n That was something his mother taught him growing up. No matter how big-time he got, when he finally went from under-the-radar prospect to receiving dozens of college offers, Nicole always told him: \u201cAlways remain humble because life will humble you if you don\u2019t humble yourself.\u201d And in case Mitchell didn\u2019t get the message, she\u2019d add: \u201cThere are no jerks in this house.\u201d<\/p>\n Forward Larry Nance Jr. remembers a film session when Mitchell failed to close out on a defensive possession. \u201cHe stopped the film and said, \u201cFellas, that\u2019s unacceptable for me,\u2019\u201d Nance Jr. says. \u201cAnd, you know, for the rest of us, we see him hold himself accountable\u2026who are we? It speaks to his hunger. His drive.\u201d<\/p>\n But that drive is manifesting in new ways \u2014 heeding Bryant\u2019s words: At the end of the day, winning may look differently.<\/p>\n A few days before the Utah road trip, the Cavs faced the Heat. Guard Max Strus was hot, draining eight threes and scoring 22 of his season-high 29 points in the first half. Mitchell, who had an off night, scoring just six points on 1-of-10-shooting, had the biggest smile on his face when he came into the locker room, finding Strus.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s your day! Let\u2019s feed you! You got the hot hand!\u201d Mitchell said, beaming. \u201cI\u2019m good! I\u2019ll figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n Strus smiles. \u201cFour years ago,\u201d Strus says, \u201cDonovan would have tried to do anything he could to get at least 20 points, but I think he\u2019s fully understanding and has accepted that he needs to do whatever it takes to win. And he wants to win at the highest level and he\u2019s trying to understand how that works, and how he can be better.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe appreciate that from him,\u201d Strus says. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t have to do it by himself. He knows we have a full team.\u201d<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Mirin Fader<\/a> is a senior writer for The Athletic, writing long-form features, primarily on the NBA. Mirin is also the New York Times best-selling author of GIANNIS: The Improbable Rise of an NBA Champion and DREAM: The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon. She has told compelling human-interest features on some of our most complex, most dominant heroes from the NBA, NFL, WNBA and NCAA, most recently at The Ringer. Her work has been featured in the Best American Sports Writing books. She lives in Los Angeles. Follow Mirin on X @MirinFader<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Donovan Mitchell looks to reach the Conference Finals for the first time in his career against Detroit. 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