Donovan Mitchell Says Cavs Are NBA 'Championship Contenders When We're Healthy'

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell believes his team is a championship contender when healthy, per comments made to Marc J. Spears of Andscape in an interview published Friday.

"We're championship contenders when we're healthy. I feel like last year we grew in a lot of ways. We played a lot of different ways. Now during that stretch, we went on, obviously D.G. [Darius Garland] and Evan [Mobley] were hurt. But we found something that really can help bring us to the next level. So now the trick is how do we continue to implement that style of play over 82 [regular-season games] and then the final 16 [playoff] wins. But the development, that's part of the reasons why I decided to sign was because I believe in our development. I believe in the hunger and the will that we have as a group."

Mitchell, who signed a three-year, $150.3 million maximum contract extension this offseason, just averaged 26.6 points, 6.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game for a 48-win team that finished with the Eastern Conference's No. 4 seed.

The five-time All-Star guided the Cavs to a first-round series win over the Orlando Magic, but Cleveland then fell in five games to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics in Round 2.

Cleveland still had a good season, though, reaching the conference semifinals for the first time without LeBron James since 1993.

Mitchell clearly believes this team as currently constructed is capable or more. In his defense, the Cavs were shorthanded for long stretches all year. Only two players (Georges Niang and Jarrett Allen) suited up for more than 70 of the team's 82 regular-season games. Evan Mobley (left knee surgery), Darius Garland (fractured jaw), Mitchell (left knee injury) all sat during the regular season, missing a combined 84 games. Allen only played four of the Cavs' 12 playoff games due to a rib injury.

A healthier Cavs team can certainly find itself making a deeper playoff run, although there's plenty of competition in the Eastern Conference for the team to face.

As for this season, the Cavs open the year up with a road date against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, Oct. 23.