Putting Donovan Mitchell’s Historic Night Into Perspective

On Monday night, Donovan Mitchell became the 12th player in the history of the NBA, or the third player in the 2000s to score over 70 points in a game with 71 against Chicago.

Mitchell shot 65% from the floor with 7 made threes, 20 made free throws, and even brought in 11 assists and 8 boards.

He led the Cavaliers to a 145-134 win in Overtime, to improve their record to 24-14 at the time.

In this century, Mitchell joined just Devin Booker and Kobe Bryant as the only players to surpass 70 points in a game, but what does Mitchell’s career night show from the unique scoring trends in the NBA right now?

This 2023 season has seen plenty of abnormal stat lines from their current stars. Whether we’re talking about Mitchell’s 71-points, Luka Doncic’s 60-point, 21 rebound, 10 assists over the Knicks, or Nikola Jokic’s 40-point, 27 rebound, 10 assist game against the Hornets, the production from the league’s top percentile of athletes are at a notable high.

But, when we look at one of the best scoring displays in league history, how does Mitchell’s night compare to Booker and Bryant in a balanced era?

Bryant: 88 points (+7 points, 8.6% inflation)

Booker: 71 points (+1 point, 1.2% inflation)

Mitchell: 70 points (-1 point, 0.6% deflation)

Simply put, if Kobe Bryant had his best single-game scoring production in today’s league average, he would hypothetically add 7 points to his total.

Now, this should not take away from the significance of Mitchell’s performance. Instead, it should show an appreciation to how impressive the scoring metrics of today’s game are currently at.

Similar to the beginning years of the three-point revolution, it seems as though offenses and defenses alike are adjusting to a new style of efficient play, in which the several early MVP candidates are taking advantage of the transitional period.

And for Mitchell and his Cavaliers squad, it could not come at a better time, as they currently stand in the thick of a playoff berth with a young, moldable core surrounding their new number 1 option.

With Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Caris LeVert all producing at an efficient level despite adding such a high-volume player like Mitchell taking away potential shots, they have not only a productive unit on the floor, but a cost-productive one.

Mitchell, on the second year of a 5-year, $163 million contract, barely surpasses Kevin Love’s cap hit of $28.9 this year, which would not be possible if for the low-end contracts of their supporting cast.

While they currently sit just under $30 million over the salary cap this season, the team has some flexibility to work through these higher contracts thanks to Garland & Mobley’s combined cap hit of $16 million.

But, even though Mitchell’s contract may be pushing them into the minus financially at the moment, his historic night and All-Star caliber season so far show how worth it his contract truly is, especially considering how far he could take them in the playoffs.