Donovan Mitchell lifts Cavs teammates who are inspired to help him get over playoff hump

INDEPENDENCE — Sam Merrill wasn't watching the 3-point contest during NBA All-Star weekend when he learned about his nickname emerging on the national stage.

“All of a sudden, I just got 25 texts with pictures of it,” Merrill told the Beacon Journal

The photographs showed All-Star Donovan Mitchell wearing a No. 5 Cavaliers jersey with the moniker “Money Merrill” emblazoned on the back.

Mitchell had told fellow Cavs guard Merrill about the jersey idea a couple of weeks before the All-Star break, yet Merrill didn't know whether Mitchell would follow through. Until Mitchell revived the nickname during the 3-point competition, the sharpshooting Merrill hadn't heard it much since his playing days at Utah State University.

“Donovan's like one of my favorite teammates ever,” Merrill said. “He's such a great dude. He just gets it. He goes to high school games and is great with the fans, and every time we win a game he takes 20 minutes 'cause he's out signing autographs and giving away his shoes. He understands how to keep his teammates in it and just be a great teammate.”

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Mitchell also understands how to lift his teammates and boost their confidence. Although he became a team leader upon his arrival in a September 2022 trade with the Utah Jazz, the role has continued to evolve in his second season with the Cavs.

Cleveland knows its chances to make a deep playoff run hinge on Mitchell more than anyone else. The fourth-seeded Cavs (48-34) will begin the postseason at 1 p.m. Saturday when they host the fifth-seeded Orlando Magic (47-35) for Game 1 of a best-of-seven Eastern Conference series.

Last season, Mitchell had a clunker of an opening round against his hometown New York Knicks. The Cavs were dominated in a 4-1 series loss.

Now they're back in the playoffs with even more at stake. Mitchell is under contract with the Cavs for next season and has a $37 million player option for 2025-26. He has championship aspirations and will likely want to be in a place where he believes those goals are attainable. Playoff success or lack thereof is also expected to be instrumental in the franchise determining J.B. Bickerstaff's future as its coach.

Mitchell has been to the playoffs in each of his seven NBA seasons, five with the Jazz and two with the Cavs. He has yet to move past the second round, a fact he has grappled with on a personal level but avoided dwelling on with teammates.

“I talk to, you have a sports therapist, you have family, people that you trust,” Mitchell told the Beacon Journal. “Not to say I don't trust my teammates.

“They know [my desire for a deep playoff run]. It's nothing they don't know. But no need to even bring up extra pressures that are already there. I think it's kind of like, look, yeah, it's expected. It's expected of me. If I want to be this player, then I have to be able to do that, and that's kind of my approach to it.”

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The players who are following Mitchell want to help him get over the proverbial postseason hump.

“I was a Jazz fan in college, so I almost feel like I was part of those teams,” Merrill said. “We're all super competitive, but people understand that the superstars get judged on how far they go. So there's definitely a little extra motivation not only for us as a team, but for him as well.”

Mitchell has been to the second round twice, with the Jazz losing Western Conference semifinals 4-1 to the Houston Rockets in 2018 and 4-2 to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2021.

“I think everybody in this locker room, we know we have the team capable of winning a championship, so we want to win a championship,” Cavs small forward Isaac Okoro told the Beacon Journal. “We want to go as far as we can.”

All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell has been pushing through a knee issue, one of many injuries the Cavs have endured this season

Injuries have been at the forefront of this Cavs season.

One of several players to miss significant time, Mitchell was sidelined for 27 regular-season games. A left knee bone bruise and a nasal fracture required medical procedures last month. The bothersome knee proved to be the primary reason Mitchell played just 11 games after the All-Star break in mid-February.

Mitchell looked and said he felt better last week in wins over the Memphis Grizzlies and Indiana Pacers, the second of which clinched a Cavs playoff berth. How Mitchell holds up physically in the postseason must be monitored, though. He declared himself “ready to go” this week after finishing the regular season averaging 26.6 points on 46.2% shooting from the field and career highs in assists (6.1), rebounds (5.1) and steals (1.8).

Even when injuries have prevented Mitchell from being himself on the court, he has united the locker room.

“He's a guy that doesn't want all the attention to be on him,” Okoro said. “He wants everybody else to shine, and you want guys like that. You don't want selfish leaders. You don't want [players who think], 'Everybody see me, me, me, me.' He's more of a team [guy], so that shows that he's a great leader.

“He's a superstar, an All Star, all that, but he's a normal human being at the end of the day. He still acts like us. He's goofy. He's funny. He makes jokes all the time. The chemistry is immaculate. Everybody loves each other in this locker room.”

How Donovan Mitchell elevates his Cleveland Cavs teammates

Earlier this season, Mitchell publicly campaigned for center Jarrett Allen to make the All-Star team and Okoro to become an NBA All-Defensive Team selection. He passionately defended point guard Darius Garland against critics. He touted guard Caris LeVert as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. And he used his platform to raise awareness about Merrill.

“I can't do it all by myself,” Mitchell said. “You need your guys, and I've always been a supporter of every teammate I've ever had.

“I'm not the player I am without them, and I think that's something that I feel is important. I feel like it's key in order for us to have the success we have, to form that relationship, the trust on the floor.”

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Mitchell's influence and gift for elevating his teammates has extended to games. In the recent triumph over the Pacers, he urged Allen to attack the basket with more authority after a “weak” layup attempt, and the pep talk immediately yielded positive results. He also conceded he had run out of gas in crunch time, so he deferred to Garland, who made a clutch 3-pointer to give the Cavs a five-point advantage with 50.1 seconds remaining.

“Not that we have any of this, but [Mitchell's leadership style] forces everyone else to be good people and do things the right away,” Merrill said. “He's always calling himself out. If he doesn't run back on defense or if he makes a mistake, he's willing to call himself out. He's just always there for his teammates, and I have a lot of respect for him for who he is.”

Everyone involved recognizes the Mitchell-led Cavs will gain greater respect from the rest of the NBA the longer they survive in the playoffs and the more they distance themselves from last year's letdown.

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

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs inspired to help Donovan Mitchell get over playoff hump