Ranking 4 perfect backcourt options to pair with Jalen Brunson long-term

1: Donovan Mitchell

Despite the Knicks’ front office not caving into the Utah Jazz’s trade demands last offseason before Donovan Mitchell was shipped to Cleveland, it still feels as though there’s a good chance of him donning the blue and orange in the near future.

He’s under contract for two more seasons, but the Cavaliers may attempt to trade him earlier and receive a lesser return just to ensure that he wouldn’t walk for nothing in 2025. Especially if they suffer a few more early postseason exits.

Mitchell’s strengths and weaknesses overlap with LaVine’s quite a bit, although he’s two years younger and has a long track record of stepping up his game in the playoffs. It would also take less to acquire him, assuming he signs as a free agent or he’s dealt for a smaller return due to the relatively small amount of remaining time on his deal.

However, Mitchell isn’t just an elite shooter and an athletic finisher. He’s one of the best offensive players in the entire NBA. He’s increased his true shooting percentage in each of the past five seasons and has also improved his scoring average in four of those years.

That uptick in both volume and efficiency is incredible, leading up to a 2022-23 season where he averaged 28.3 points and 4.4 assists while shooting just under 39% from deep on 9.3 attempts per game. He finished sixth in MVP voting and made All-NBA second team.

A potential Brunson/Mitchell duo would immediately become one of the best backcourts in the league, a two-man offensive force. While the defensive fit isn’t as seamless as Grimes or Quickley, the sheer scoring output from Brunson and Mitchell would be enough to give opposing coaches nightmares.

While the undersized backcourt of Mitchell and Darius Garland hasn’t delivered stellar results for Cleveland, it can also be attributed to playing in a frontcourt with two non-shooters as well as subpar wing play.

While Julius Randle can be maddeningly inconsistent at times, he still attempts enough threes for defenses to respect him as a spacer when he’s hot. Barrett and Hart are also a much more versatile duo at the small forward position compared to Cleveland’s 2022 rotation of Isaac Okoro and Cedi Osman.

Mitchell has also developed several relationships with Knicks players off the court such as Hart, Quickley, and of course, Brunson. He’s been seen golfing and attending New York Mets games with executive Allan Houston as well as Knicks superfan Spike Lee.

While there are some concerns regarding defense, Mitchell checks every other box when looking for a long-term backcourt partner to pair alongside Brunson. There isn’t another shooting guard in the NBA that the Knicks could realistically acquire that would be a better fit.