Donovan Mitchell's drive intensifies with the Cavaliers after Max Strus injury

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Donovan Mitchell's drive intensifies with the Cavaliers after Max Strus injury

2025-09-30 06:29 Last Updated At：07:01

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell already had plenty of motivation in his offseason workouts after the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals despite being the top seed.

His drive went to another gear when he heard last month Max Strus was going to be out the first two months of the season due to a broken foot.

“I made it a point to be ready earlier, especially once Max went down. Honestly, once I got that phone call, I think within the next two days a mental shift just happened," Mitchell said Monday during the team's media day. "Just understanding what’s going to be required, not being Superman, but understanding that being ready for what’s necessary."

Darius Garland had toe surgery after the season ended and is also expected to miss the first couple months. Mitchell is likely to move to point guard with Sam Merrill at shooting guard while Garland is out.

Mitchell averaged a team-high 24.0 points, including 19 games of at least 30 points. He averaged 29.6 points during the playoffs, but it wasn't enough.

It was the second time Mitchell was on a top-seeded team that didn’t make it to the conference finals. In 2021, Utah lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in six games.

“I think the biggest thing is just understand that we’ve just got to keep going. Sorry, I gave you the political answer, but that’s really all I got," Mitchell said about what he learned from the Indiana series.

The Cavaliers surprised nearly everyone last season with a 64-18 record — which included three winning streaks of 12 games or more — to finish ahead of 2024 NBA champion Boston atop the East.

This season they are favored to win the conference according to BetMGM Sportsbook (+240).

Even though being the top seed in the East would be a nice reward for the Cavaliers, Mitchell's focus is getting to the NBA Finals in June and whatever it takes.

“Physically, you can be there, but mentally, can we continue to push through that?" he said. "We’ve run into the same wall three times in a row, so to speak, and mentally you can stop and quit. Are we willing to every day continue to hit your head against the wall and keep pounding, keep going as we continue to make this push?

"I’m just saying I’m ready for whatever. It’s just time. I really don’t have any other way to describe it. It’s just like I’m ready to go and I understand, at the same token, it’s a long journey, too. I’m ready to go and kind of setting the tone, it’s just like, all right, you know, it’s time to go.”

Besides getting engaged to singer Coco Jones, Mitchell's star power continues to grow. He was featured on NBC's “Roundball Rock” commercial during the playoffs and is part of Prime Video's ads as it begins coverage of the league.

Mitchell is featured along with stars Luka Doncic and Victor Wembanyama.

“I think obviously for myself it means I’m doing something right on the floor. But I also think, you know, what the league is doing, continuing to empower and show the faces of everybody, small market, big market, wherever. And I think that’s really what our game has been missing,” Mitchell said. “You got guys in smaller markets who are being talked about the way they should be because there’s so much talent in this league. And I think that’s what you’re starting to see the league doing.”

Cleveland has its core four back of Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Garland and Jarrett Allen, but also added Larry Nance Jr. and Lonzo Ball.

“What’s more impressive for me is seeing who he is off the court. He’s calculated, very intelligent about all the right things. He’s one of those guys that is who you hope he is which is cool to see,” Nance said of Mitchell. “He's going to be taking all the big shots and carrying a heavy load. So any little bit that I can take off his shoulders I’ll be looking to do that.”

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New storm hitting waterlogged Southern California could bring mudslides and high surf

WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. (AP) — California, soaked from days of relentless rain and recovering from mudslides in mountain towns, was hit with another powerful storm Christmas Day that led to evacuation warnings and high surf advisories.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in Southern California issued an evacuation warning for Wrightwood, a mountain town about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, a day after rescuing people trapped in cars during a mud slide.

The National Weather Service said waves near the San Francisco Bay Area could reach up to 25 feet (7.6 meters) Friday.

Statewide, more than 70,000 people were without power Thursday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.

A day ago, heavy rain and fierce winds were blamed for at least two deaths.

A major storm system moving toward the Midwest and Northeast was expected to interfere with travel, according to the National Weather Service.

A mix of freezing rain and sleet could create icy conditions in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Maryland. Forecasters warned heavy ice could cause outages. Snow was expected to blanket the Northeast early Friday.

Roads in the 5,000-resident California town of Wrightwood were covered in rocks, debris and thick mud on Thursday. With power out, a gas station and coffee shop running on generators were serving as hubs for residents and visitors.

“It’s really a crazy Christmas,” said Jill Jenkins, who was spending the holiday with her 13-year-old grandson, Hunter Lopiccolo.

Lopiccolo said the family almost evacuated the previous day, when water washed away a chunk of their backyard. But they decided to stay and still celebrated the holiday. Lopiccolo got a new snowboard and e-bike.

“We just played card games all night with candles and flashlights,” he said.

Davey Schneider hiked a mile and a half (1.6 kilometers) through rain and floodwater up to his shins from his Wrightwood residence Wednesday to rescue cats from his grandfather's house, walking through floodwater up to his shins as it rained.

“I wanted to help them out because I wasn't confident that they were going to live,” Schneider said Thursday. “Fortunately, they all lived. They're all okay — just a little bit scared.”

Arlene Corte said roads in town turned into rivers, but her house was not damaged.

“It could be a whole lot worse,” she said. “We’re here talking.”

With more rain on the way, more than 150 firefighters were stationed in the area, said San Bernardino County Fire spokesman Shawn Millerick.

“We’re ready,” he said. “It’s all hands on deck at this point.”

A falling tree killed a San Diego man Wednesday, news outlets reported. Farther north, a Sacramento sheriff’s deputy died in what appeared to be a weather-related crash.

Areas along the coast, including Malibu, were under a flood watch until Friday afternoon, and wind and flood advisories were issued for much of the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area.

The storms were the result of atmospheric rivers carrying massive plumes of moisture from the tropics during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.

Southern California typically gets half an inch to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 centimeters) of rain this time of year, but this week many areas could see between 4 and 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters), with even more in the mountains, National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford said.

More heavy snow was expected in the Sierra Nevada, where gusts created “near white-out conditions” and made mountain pass travel treacherous. Officials said there was a “high” avalanche risk around Lake Tahoe and a winter storm warning was in effect through Friday.

Ski resorts around Lake Tahoe recorded about 1 to 3 feet (30 to 91 centimeters) of snow overnight, said Tyler Salas, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Reno. Forecasters expect to see up to another 3 feet (91 centimeters) of snow through Friday, Salas said. The area could see 45-mph (72-kph) gusts in low elevation areas and 100-mph (161-kph) winds along mountain ridges.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared emergencies in six counties to allow state assistance.

The state deployed resources and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard was on standby.

Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Oakland, California, and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed.