Donovan Mitchell appeared to have some shade for his toxic ex this week.
The Cleveland Cavaliers star Mitchell led the team to a thrilling 114-113 overtime win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. He finished with 25 points and six assists as Cleveland improved to a glowing 6-1 on the season.
After the game, Mitchell complimented the Cavs’ young frontcourt duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
“I’ve never played with bigs as dynamic as them on offense,” said Mitchell, per Cavs writer Evan Dammarell.
Of course, that could easily read as a shot at Mitchell’s longtime former Utah Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert (especially the emphasis on “offense.”) Gobert has been criticized throughout his career for his perceived shortcomings on the offensive end. It is no national secret either that Mitchell, who played with Gobert for the previous five seasons, did not get along with him.
But Mitchell has a point in that Allen, 24, and Mobley, 21, are versatile bigs who have nice touches and range outside of the paint. Their presence in the starting lineup has definitely helped Mitchell play more freely in his debut season as a Cav (averaging career-highs with 31.1 points and 7.1 assists per contest). Still, knowing Mitchell’s history with Gobert, his choice of words here probably was no accident.
