From the moment he entered the NBA, Donovan Mitchell has been a star. He’s scored at least 20 points per game in each of his first seven seasons in the league, and he has been an All-Star five years in a row.
Despite all that, many folks are hesitant to label him a bonafide superstar. Shaquille O’Neal is one such figure who doesn’t think Spida is worthy of that title yet, and he recently took a second to explain why that’s the case.
Shaquille gets real on Donovan not being a superstar yet
O’Neal is an example of a guy who was very clearly a superstar throughout his career. He was a 15-time All-Star, a 14-time All-NBA member, and the 2000 MVP, with countless other accolades to show for as well. Shaq was dominant, and it’s why he’s in the Hall of Fame now.
Aside from one All-NBA selection in 2023, Mitchell hasn’t accrued many other accolades than his All-Stars. O’Neal believes he needs to be more dominant and consistent if he intends to reach superstar status.
“He’s close,” Shaquille O’Neal said on The Draymond Green Show. “There’s a fine line between a star and a superstar, he’s close. I would like to see him dominate more. Any guy that can put up numbers anytime he wants shows me that you’re a puppy, but you can be trained to be a mean dog.”
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Does Donovan have what it takes to become a superstar?
Mitchell is a skilled scorer, but to be a superstar, you have to do more than that, and that’s been his long-standing problem. Spida isn’t exactly known for his passing, rebounding, or defense, and that’s prevented him from taking the next step forward.
Beyond that, Mitchell has experienced little to no success in the postseason throughout his career. While that’s not totally his fault, Donovan has been to the playoffs in each of his first seven seasons, and yet he’s never advanced past the second round.
There are reasons to believe that Mitchell could make the jump, though. He just averaged career-highs in assists, rebounds, steals, and even blocks per game last season, meaning he probably would have made it on an All-NBA team if he didn’t have to miss 27 games.
Being consistently great is what O’Neal is looking for, and that could be what Mitchell needs to do in order to take things to the next level. If Donovan can make that jump, the Cleveland Cavaliers could do some damage in the upcoming 2024-25 campaign.
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