Donovan Mitchell is averaging 38 points over his last four games including a 50 ball in game six immediately followed by a 39o game seven and most recently a huge second half explosion to lead his team to a 24-point win in Boston these sort of numbers in the postseason aren't anything new to him though so what is it that makes him such an effective player when the stakes are highest just over a week ago I did a video on Anthony Edwards and one thing I focused on was how physical tools almost always translate to the playoffs and Donovan Mitchell has the exact same thing going for him as he too is one of the League's most impressive athletes it starts with his ability to change speeds you of course have the explosive burst that helps him beat Defenders off the dribble but he also pairs that with the inverse the ability to stop on a dime like here he explodes into a drive and gets a step by his defender's hip then when a shop blocker gets into position to help he quickly slows his momentum and reroutes into a different path he'll use his handle to weaponize these explosive attacks one of his Goos is this in andout straight into a crossover and again to counter a packed paint it's the floater and when needed he can get really creative it's another In-N-Out this time into a spin move then a second Defender steps up so he sets him up as well collapsing the defense before leaving it to Allen down low all of these moves are made possible by his unrivaled ability to change directions he's the closest thing we have to a running back in the NBA cutting back and forth as he Jukes the entire defense on his way to the paint this play starts with a screen to his right and he rejects it with a sharp crossover left only to immediately cut back to his right to shed the help and that leaves him with space for a jumper when the changes of speed and changes of Direction come together this guy's just a nightmare to contain he'll stop and go redirect there aren't many defend ERS who can stay in front of him but even in the rare event that he gets into his initial move and his man is able to cut him off he can turn into a power back and just bully his way to the rim he might be the strongest small guard in the league Pao banero is 610250 and Mitchell goes right through him like he's not even there this level of strength especially in his lower body really helps him as a finisher around the rim as he can absorb contact and remain perfectly in balance you can see that on this one when he starts his Drive Tatum barely beats him to the spot and they make contact but he doesn't get bumped off his path and steps right through it for an and one that sort of play is made possible by his length and really his 6' 10 wingspan makes a ton of things possible like this signature move of his where he'll Gather in a windmill motion over the top of his Defender to create an angle these long arms also make his handle that much more deadly as a simple crossover covers an ins insane amount of ground and then you have those lengthy strides to finish from the floor in terms of getting to the rim there are very few guards in the NBA who can compete at 6.6 Rim attempts every 75 possessions he's currently second among guards in the playoffs behind just Tyrese Maxi what's really interesting about this is he was already a high volume Slasher in the regular season and you could argue that he was actually in better physical shape for a few months than he has been since returning from injury yet he only averaged 4.9 Rim attempts per 75 nearly too less and to me there's an easy explanation for the increase it's simple he's really forcing the issue take this play for example his Lane gets taken away and he throws a bump while coming to a stop and for most players this right here is a mid-range jumper he refuses to settle though and instead hunts for a new angle he's really leaned into the physical aspects of his game once again he gets cut off and is forced to pull back then he wastes no time setting up a second Drive continuing to Showcase that combination of length and strength his use of strides strength and soft touch have turned him into one of the game's best on the- floor finishers but don't forget that one of his biggest draws coming into the league was his explosive vertical leaping and when those two things come together we're talking about a truly Elite interior scorer here's a look at the volume and efficiency at the rim of every player in the playoffs and here's where Donovan Mitchell lands converting on about 70% of his attempts it gets even crazier when we reduce the graph to only players who are listed as a guard for comparison some of the most notable slashers like Anthony Edwards and Shay haven't been generating this type of production one thing I especially like about his vertical finishing is the way he'll use his large frame as a shield jumping right into the body of a shot blocker and then finding an angle which not only gives him access to more scoring opportunities it allows him to force shot blockers into committing before dropping it off to his big man for easy points these midair laydowns are a big part of his Arsenal as a passer this time it's the length that gives him access to an angle around the body of banaro and he's a really good skip passer so if the low man drops to help on the big he'll find that open shooter in the corner for a quality look from outside when it all comes together the athletic driving versatile finish and sharp passing we're talking about a truly Elite downhill attacker who can really dissect defenses from that alone where he takes his offensive Arsenal to an entirely different Echelon though is with his off the dribble three-point shooting over the last two seasons he's attempted over 700 pull-up threes so we're talking a lot of shots and he's hit more than 37% of them a Mark that would put him among the League's best I think what stands out is how smooth his motion is is it really doesn't matter where his momentum's taking him at any moment he can just pull the trigger which pairs perfectly with his driving in soon as he crosses half court he's a threat to score and Defenders have no way of knowing whether he's going to start on a drive or pull back into a three right in their Grill in these playoffs he's attempted just under six of these a game good for fourth and when they're hitting at the 38 and a half% clip that they are right now there really isn't much you can do as a defense to adjust that unique combination of explosive driving and pull-up shooting has turned him into one of the best pick and roll scorers we've ever seen if the big is back in the drop and his Defender doesn't stay glued to him over the screen he'll step into that jumper every single time and like I said we're talking serious range Vagner is up at the three-point line which still isn't high enough to stop him from burying a triple of course when working off of screens the defense also has to worry about him turning the corner on a drive where if he finds even a sliver of space to attack he's getting to that Rim so it's imperative that no matter how high that screen is set even all the way out at the logo his Defender stays glued to him over the top with the big still dropping back that forces him to play in between which used to be a weakness but has really turned into a strength I really like when he puts his defender in jail and takes his time here threatening a drive before stepping back to create space for a three and on this one he's going to do pretty much the exact same thing except in the mid-range and instead of taking the jumper he leverages that threat into a pass he actually does this quite a bit using his jump shooting as a tool to manipulate the defense and just look at the release speed not even some of the League's best passers can do that I've said multiple times throughout this year that I feel he's probably the most underrated playmaker in the game and these pick and rolls where he plays a game of cat and mouse with the big are part of the reason here's one where he's met with drop coverage and instead of quickly pulling up he keeps his dribble alive and patiently works his way Baseline forcing two to the ball so that there's nobody left to pick up Marcus Morris on the perimeter as a result it's probably in the defense's best interest to not let him get anywhere near the paint typically that would mean a more aggressive coverage such as a hedge but most bigs really have no chance of containing him in space I also think he's gotten better at using the shovel pass to create four on three advantages this one's a touch off Target but still leaves Jared Allen with an easy path to the rim the biggest risk with bringing a big up to the level though is that it leaves the paint more V vulnerable for when he decides to reject the screen and we're back to square one as he gets to the rim for two through nine playoff games he's averaging 29 Points and five assists don't get me wrong that's impressive but I think it's worth noting that his role within the offense is slightly different from some of these other superstars if we look at the ball dominance of every player in these playoffs in terms of touches and time of possession per game pretty much every number one option carries a huge load Brun Luca Maxi Edwards these are some of the guys who have been producing the largest volume numbers as for Donovan Mitchell he just simply hasn't had the ball as much meaning that there's less opportunity for him to fill up the box score some of it has to do with the co-existence of Darius Garland some of it has to do with Cleveland's free flowing offense that gets everyone involved and this has its benefits and its drawbacks for one it unlocks him more as an off-ball weapon whether that's as a spot shooter slashing off the catch or cutting into the lane to make plays I think that gives his attack a little more versatility but on the downside if you turn on a Cavs game you're likely to see five or six straight possessions where he just isn't involved whatsoever to the point where you might forget he's on the court despite being their best Creator I think it's obvious that the team's offense is maximized with the ball in his hands and that's because there are only a handful of guys who you can say match his ability to break down a def defense from the explosive driving finishing and passing to the use of the in between game and off the dribble shooting he's a true offensive Superstar and has wed the Cavs to some really big wins if you enjoyed this breakdown make sure to drop a like subscribe and turn my post notifications on to be first on more content if you're interested in my more in-depth research make sure to check out my website and social media profiles you can find those links in the description feel free to let me know down in the comments what you think think of Mitchell as always I hope you all have a great day and I'll catch you guys in the next one [Music]