Averaging career-highs in 3PM (3.7) and 3P% (40.5), Mitchell has been instrumental to the Cavaliers (24-4) maintaining the best record in the league after they got off to the tied second-best start (15-0) in history.
Despite enjoying a career year, Mitchell does not feature prominently in the NBA’s MVP conversation. On Friday, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps released his latest NBA MVP straw poll that quizzed 100 media members to vote for their MVP at the current juncture of the season. As with the NBA’s official voting process, voters were asked to submit a five-player ballot, with the results being tabulated using the league’s scoring system of 10 points for first place, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth and a point for the fifth-place vote.
Amazingly, Mitchell landed in sixth place behind leader Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic. He received zero first- or second-place votes but got one third-place vote to go with six and seven fourth and fifth-place votes, respectively. Overall, he got 30 votes, nearly 100 fewer than Doncic.
“Mitchell’s MVP case centers on being the best player on the best team. But despite Cleveland’s NBA-best 23-4 [24-4] start, the guard sits in sixth,” Bontemps wrote of Mitchell’s lack of votes.
It’s the newest instance of the media disrespecting Mitchell and treating him like an afterthought. The athletic guard was also snubbed from Team USA’s 12-man Paris Olympics roster, making him the player with the second-most career points in the decade who has never made the national team.
One wonders if Mitchell will use the constant disrespect as fuel to further build on the Cavaliers’ historic season. If the franchise wins 60-plus games, which it is on pace to do, Mitchell should be a candidate to claim one of the spots in the All-NBA First Team. However, if history is any indicator, he will likely land on the second or third team.
Perhaps Mitchell will have the last laugh if the Cavaliers make a deep postseason run or even win it all. According to ESPNBet, they currently have the fourth-shortest odds (+1300) to win the championship.
