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Donovan Mitchell becomes first Cavaliers player voted to All-NBA Team since LeBron James

Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell dunks during the first half against the New York Knicks on Jan. 24.
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell dunks during the first half against the New York Knicks on Jan. 24.

Donovan Mitchell criticized himself last month when the Cavaliers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs because the All-Star guard knows he didn't meet expectations against his hometown New York Knicks.

Mitchell said he felt like he had let his teammates down.

However, the Cavs' 4-1 first-round series defeat didn't erase Mitchell's stellar 2022-23 regular season. He earned recognition for it Wednesday night when the league announced Mitchell had been voted to an All-NBA Team.

“[Mitchell] took a lot of responsibility for this first round, and I told him, 'Stop that,'” Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman said during a season wrap-up news conference. “He's been remarkable for us in so many different ways, and we told him how proud of him we are.”

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Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell drives during Game 1 in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the New York Knicks on April 15.
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell drives during Game 1 in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the New York Knicks on April 15.

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A September trade acquisition from the Utah Jazz, Mitchell was a second-team selection. He is the first Cavs player to earn All-NBA status since LeBron James in the 2017-18 season. By the way, James was a third-team honoree this year.

In All-NBA voting, Mitchell finished behind first-team guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks). Gilgeous-Alexander received 407 points (63 first-team votes, 29 second-team votes and five third-team votes), Doncic tallied 403 points (60 first-team votes, 33 second-team votes and four third-team votes) and Mitchell garnered 349 points (45 first-team votes, 36 second-team votes and 16 third-team votes).

This is the first All-NBA honor of Mitchell's professional career, which launched after he was drafted 13th overall in 2017. It's Gilgeous-Alexander's first and Doncic's fourth (all four first team).

Mitchell is the fifth player in Cavs history to make an All-NBA roster.

Until the addition of Mitchell to the list, the last Cavs player other than James who had earned the distinction was point guard Kyrie Irving, a third-team All-NBA pick for the 2014-15 season.

Mark Price is the last Cavs player aside from James to be named first-team All-NBA, an honor the retired point guard received for the 1992-93 season. Center Brad Daugherty, a third-team choice for the 1991-92 season, is the franchise's other player to accomplish the All-NBA feat.

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Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell reacts after making a 3-pointer against the Brooklyn Nets on March 21.
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell reacts after making a 3-pointer against the Brooklyn Nets on March 21.

This past regular season, Mitchell averaged a career-high 28.3 points on 48.4% shooting from the field, including 38.6% on 3-pointers. He registered 4.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.43 steals in a career-high 35.8 minutes per game. He shot a career-best 86.7% from the free-throw line.

In the playoffs, Mitchell averaged 23.3 points on 43.3% shooting from the field, including 28.9% on 3-pointers, plus 7.2 assists, five rebounds and two steals.

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell shoots a free throw during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks on March 28.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell shoots a free throw during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks on March 28.

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Altman said Mitchell is a “humble superstar” who had the best season of his career. Altman said the Cavs expected Mitchell to become first-team All-NBA, which obviously didn't come to fruition.

“He was able to seamlessly come into the Cavs, bring his dynamic, bring his belief and really be a great mentor for [his teammates],” Altman said. “He's living in this pain [of the playoff loss] and embracing how we can get better as a team.

“At 26 years old, he still has the best basketball ahead of him. He has big, lofty goals, and he also knows he has a group around him that supports him to get there. So we're thrilled and actually really, really fortunate that we were able to complete that trade.”

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Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell shoots during the second half of the NBA All-Star game on Feb. 19.
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell shoots during the second half of the NBA All-Star game on Feb. 19.

Here is the full list of All-NBA selections for the 2022-23 season

All-NBA First Team: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)

All-NBA Second Team: Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics), Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)

All-NBA Third Team: De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings), LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers), Julius Randle (New York Knicks), Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings)

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell voted to All-NBA Second Team