You think of Donovan Mitchell today as a graceful and dynamic scorer. He has an arsenal, unlike any offensive player in this league. He can shoot, make athletic plays, and can also move the rock effortlessly. What if I tell you it wasn’t always like that? Mitchell first rose to prominence as a defender at Louisville. The Cavs star even believes that was his standout trait when entering the NBA. Looking back at it, the transition seems strikingly feral.

Today, Mitchell is an offensive juggernaut who has led the Cleveland Cavaliers to one of the best win streaks the NBA has seen in a long time. He is continually adding weapons to his repertoire, something that has enabled him to separate himself from a traditional scoring guard. His innate passing instincts have helped the Cavs become a cohesive system. Even though young and inexperienced, they have proved they won’t back down to anyone.

On the Old Man and The Three podcast, JJ Reddick the host remembered his first matchup against Mitchell and revealed his astonishment at his development.

JJ Reddick couldn’t see Donovan Mitchell becoming a high-volume scorer

Mitchell was a rookie in Utah when he first faced JJ Reddick, who at the time played for the Philadelphia 76ers. As he recalls it, he was given the assignment to guard the Cavaliers guard because “they didn’t think he was a scorer”. Mitchell had a miserable outing. “He was 3 for 21”, the ESPN analyst said proudly but also with a hint of sarcasm.

Despite his appalling performance, Reddick vaguely remembers his thoughts after the game. “At the time I was like ‘Man, this guy is f*****g aggressive, he is twitchy and he’s bouncing, he’s got a handle, he’s got a pretty good looking shot. He’s going to be a pretty good offensive player’. I did not f*****g know this m*********er was going to turn into a 30-point-per-game scorer,” said Reddick, still seemingly surprised at the outcome.

Mitchell has turned into one of the most crafty scores in the league. His wide base jump shot looks fluid and smooth. Then there is the added threat of his freakish athleticism. The 27-year-old also has a dexterous handle. To keep it brief, no defender is safe against him as he puts up 28 points per game this season.

For his years in Utah, that became Mitchell’s reputation. He was a killer when it came to putting the ball in the basket. However, it was also a criticism held against him that he only has a single dimension to his game that is being a scorer. “He just stopped defending,” his teammate Jarrett Allen said jokingly to Reddick. But there was some truth to it.

His days on the Utah Jazz were marked with such critiques. He was seen as one of the worst defenders in the league, statistically and visually. Mitchell all this while was keeping receipts. When he arrived in Cleveland, the young starlet understood the vitality of playing hard on both ends of the floor. So he revived his college self and dedicatedly played defense.

The result?

This season, Mitchell has a better defensive rating than Anthony Edwards, the starting guard for the best defensive team in the NBA. Additionally, he ranks 2nd in steals with 1.8 per game and has the 6th most defensive win shares this season despite being the only player in the top 10 to play less than 50 games this season.

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Mitchell’s devotion also helped transform the Cavaliers. They were in crisis at the beginning of the season. However, he and the unit stayed level-headed and are now the 2nd seed in the East. They have established themselves as contenders. And Donovan Mitchell has proved he is more than just an elite scorer.