Donovan Mitchell | Cavs vs Bucks Post Game | 1.17.2024

Donovan Mitchell | Cavs vs Bucks Post Game | 1.17.2024

Donovan I mean George you’ve known him for a while had 33 tonight career high can you talk about the person and then also just seeing him succeed at this level um yeah man like you know he’s he’s a guy that puts in the work you know his energy is always positive um

You know I’ve seen it from not playing to coming in you know playing some minutes then getting rotational minutes then filling in as a starter uh you know like doing so many different things um not just shooting the basketball and you know just be able to see the growth and

Then see him go to Philly and being in Big Time playoff games doing doing big things and then to come here um and do what he’s been doing for us man it’s it’s great to see you know just because I’ve seen the progression as he’s seen

Mine um you know he’s a guy that you know consistently puts in the work we all love G you know we all love his energy um kns like ten this kns like this are incredible you know incredible to see um you know it’s it’s just one of those things that’s special man it’s

Great to see you know someone I consider not just a teammate but a friend you know since I first got in the league and it’s been a helpful you know influence on my career and what he’s seen and a very honest one which I I truly respect

You know so um it’s great to see him have a night like this um I mean hopefully he can duplicate it for a little while um no but you know he’s it’s just great to see he puts the time in puts the work and it’s great to see

You know it all come to fruition Isaac and Dean obviously having two difficult defensive matchups holding Chris Milton and Damen Lillard to 19 points to combin what did you see from them in today’s performance um I think their duties became even tougher uh because Giannis came out you know it became more so

Chris and more so Dame um you know and for Isaac and and and Dean to step up the way they have um that that’s huge it’s big time it was a big reason as to why we were able to you know push the break get stops push the break you know

Dame is really good at drawing fouls you know so being able to kind not play without foul T um you know and then that leads to our offense you know those two are are huge in for Isaac to come in and turn around and have a career high and

Assist you know on the flip side you know I think that’s something that you know he’s continuing to grow his game you know playing in that half R playing being able to be a playmaker um you know it’s great to see and you know we got these guys again in another week you

Know so as much as I want to you know say this things are great I hate to I hate to be that guy but as much as I want to say things are great we got to see them again you know and be ready um you know to play on their home court

Chris there was a time this year where you guys playing inconsistent ball and there were questions about this team general questions about this team how do you keep from doubting what other people do um I mean when you have when you have the locker room we have you know I don’t

Think the confidence ever wavered you know we’ve seen it you know we’ve done it and the thing is it wasn’t like we weren’t doing it you know what I mean I think we’d have less confidence if it wasn’t like okay we’re doing it on a Monday but not doing it on a Wednesday

You know I think there would be less confidence but we would we would show like okay we’re capable of we show it in halves and then not do it in the second half we would show it in games not do it so it’s like all right Kate’s there and

Now on top of that I’m not using this as a crutch but like we were injured in in and out the lineup guys we’re trying to figure things out so when you came whole became hold as a cream and then we’re still we’re injured now but like just

Being able to continue to stay with it it’s a long season um you know if we’re sitting here you know wavering with confidence you know we have no chance you know what I mean so obviously it’s natural for everybody to kind of have especially of the way we started last

Year you know we come up 10 and one wherever it is and start off hot to come out not really hot you know to start the season you know in the season where there’s expectations it’s natural for people to feel that way but for us it’s just continue to stay the course and

Even though we’re playing good baskball now it’s continue to stay the course we’re not up here we’re not down here was continue to stay even um K throughout the whole process during the six game winning streak you guys have fairly trailed so what has it taken what’s been required to sustain that

High level of basketball for full 48 minutes like that’s that’s the biggest thing we played these guys a few weeks or a week or so ago you know we were up same way we were and then the third quarter they kind of set that tone you

Know what I mean so that’s what you’re starting to see is us starting to continue to you know keep our foot on the gas and they’re going to be nights where we don’t go up you know to start the game there’re going to be nights where we have to play from behind have

To come back you know you look at the Dallas game you know that’s the one that really sticks out to me um like it there’s going to be games like that there’s going to be games where you have to play from behind it’s going to be

Games where you play from ahead but the biggest thing is being consist and you know we’re doing a really good job right now but biggest thing is you just got to keep going you know continue to keep going um on a night toight basis Joe George talked about the camaraderie

On this team how cohesive it is how much you guys really love each other who or what do you credit that to everybody man like it’s everybody has their thing you know what I mean like it’s you know it was was Zach that last year and then you add Max and George um

And it’s still that way you know what I mean so it’s like you add two guys who are even even more positive you know what I mean so it’s just like I think everybody in the locker room you know us is 1 through 15 whatever it is like you

Just look up and down everybody has like you know their thing whether it’s being funny you know being a a funny like whatever it may may be you know we make fun of Max not smiling like you know we make fun of Isaac like myself like like it goes down the list and

There’s just so much within the locker room that you know and alluding to Chris’s question like when we were going through the ups and downs it be it was still easy to come to work you know what I mean like that’s that’s the best part about it is understanding that you know

It’s a long season you know and if you have a locker room that’s divided it makes it even longer but you know throughout all this and we’re still not even whole yet you like we’re still not a whole unit and we’re still you know the fact that DG and EV are consistently

There consistently cheering you know cuz that’s tough you know to be to be out for so long but consistently in the building you know to be there um it just speaks to the group and the energy we have jackon uh Jackson fing right down ukl so you’ve been technically playing

The point guard for about a month now what have how has your game developed throughout that process um you know I think I’ve had experience with it in the past um in my time in Utah um when Ricky was there he went down with the hamstring injury you know I was I was

Playing it for about the same stretch as I am now same thing with Mike Conley um you know so being able to kind of just go back to that you know getting familiar with that but also not really dominating the ball like you know get

Like I think when you we think of point guard it’s more like you bring the ball up you run the play whatever but kind of just getting off it you know allowing you know Isaac to get in transition you know giving up to Dean giving up to Max

You know playing off secondary actions being in a pain finding guys um that’s pretty much my job whatever the you know whatever it calls for and teams are going to collapse when I drive to the rim so being able to find guys that are open um you know and it also helps when

You have Jay to hit in the pocket and he’s hitting these hook shots in the mid-range like it’s very it’s um it’s very fluid you know what I mean so for me um that’s just been my role and just continuing to do it uh so during the six

Game win streak you guys have won four of those by more than eight by 18 or more points um what have you learned about this team during that stretch oh just resiliency you know I think December 15th or whatever it was when uh those two guys got hurt I think

There was a lot of noise of what was going to happen with our group and you’re starting to see um guys really step up you know the Sam Mars The George nangs the dean Wade Isaac a coros the Jared Allen um you know I think that’s something that we’re really starting to

See uh Craig Porter um you know just guys elevating their game and and doing it by committee you know I think that’s the biggest thing you know and you know we may go on a 12 game in streak we may lose too like whatever it is but there’s

The biggest thing we playing good basketball that’s that’s that’s the biggest thing about it um it’s being consistent that’s all you can ask for Donovan George call the camarade you guys have in that locker room refreshing and since you’re not a new face but you

Were a new face last year did you kind of get a similar sentiment coming into this group just the general Vibe just how they work and come to work every day yeah it’s it’s fun like you know what I mean you come in and you know there’s

There’s so much you can tell the bond even when I came last year you could just tell like for for it to be so fluid for I came what two weeks before Camp last year like for it to be so fluid and and and you know fresh that’s that’s

Refreshing you know what I mean like just there’s so many it’s not always like that throughout the throughout the league and you know to have a group that’s continuing to rise continue to figure themselves out you know and still be able to Be steady with each other you

Know and be able to just have fun and enjoy this process through wins and through losses um I think that’s something that makes the game easy makes the game fun because that that carries that onto the floor you know remember the the one game George hits a three and

DG jumps on his back like you know what I mean like that that stuff is that stuff is is um important you know like I said it’s a long it’s a long season and you know there’s going to be UPS there going to be Downs it’s going to be

Trials tribulations but you know the one thing that’s always consistent you know is the goofiness you know and and having fun and then also it’s great that you can have that and then also turn it on like you know understand that when it’s time for the game it’s time for the game

You know and not kind of being laxed and you know and it also allows you to hold each other accountable which has been good and you ad mened about it’s 14 games now that you’ve been without EV DG out there um have you just been in impressed but I

Know the camaraderie probably helps a lot just impressed with how well these guys just continue to handle just like what seems like countless adversity just keeps hitting yeah um you know I think you’re defined most when adversity hits you know and you’re looking at a group that’s really just finding it together

You know we have a lot of guys that really know how to play the game which makes it easy um you know I speak on Sam I speak on Craig I speak on Dean and Isaac you know just because I don’t think the everybody knew what we’ve seen

You know in in practice um especially Sam and Craig um I don’t think people knew you know the level that they’re capable of getting to and I think that’s that for me is one one of the best parts about this is that they’re being able to show that showcase what we’ve seen in

Practice what we’ve seen uh we saw from Craig in summer league you know what I mean so um even seated like tonight like you know he comes in and still get into his spots and what not find a guy so um I think that’s been the the bright spot

And we all love each other’s success and I think that’s something that um it’s not always the case as we all know that’s in life that’s not just in the game of basketball but you know I think it’s it’s great to see that and I think

It also will help when those two come back you know things you know foul trouble happens you know you need a quick spark you need different things you know what you’re getting from each individual guy

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Georges Niang spoke with the media following a 135-95 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on January 17, 2024 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.