The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost eight of their last 12 games entering a Tuesday night showdown against the New Orleans Pelicans at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Cavs defeated the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night, 139-132, in Cleveland, snapping a three-game losing streak. While that was a small glimpse of hope, Cavs star Donovan Mitchell had a brutally honest assessment amid the team’s ongoing struggles.
“We’re 29 games in. We’re not a playoff team right now; we’re not playing like it. We have the talent. We have the group, but we’re not playing like it,” Mitchell said. “We just gotta find it.”
Donovan Mitchell:
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) December 23, 2025
"We're not a playoff team right now, we're not playing like it" pic.twitter.com/DkZaECWebC
At the end of last season, the Cavs finished 64-18 with the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They lost to the Indiana Pacers in five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and the Cavs entered the 2025-26 season with plenty of hope.
So, the struggles going on with the Cavs right now are frustrating for everybody, and Mitchell did not hold back one bit.
Injuries certainly haven’t helped, as the Cavs’ star core of Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen has played just four games together entering Tuesday night.
Cleveland fans have even been booing the Cavs during games recently, although Mitchell said at the time, “I’d boo us too”.
Mitchell is doing all he can. He entered Tuesday with 30.7 points per game in 27 games to lead the Cavs and rank fourth in the NBA behind Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Maxey.
The good news for the Cavs is that there is a lot of basketball left to be played this season. But, as Mitchell said, they have to find it. If not, they could miss the playoffs just a year after being the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavs face off against the New York Knicks on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden in New York and then face the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs on the road before returning to Cleveland for a New Year’s Eve game against the Phoenix Suns.
