The sense of familiarity and nostalgia hit different when someone you were close with is suddenly at arm’s length—this was the reunion between Donovan Mitchell and Bryant. Last year, Johnnie Bryant joined the Cleveland Cavaliers as a part of Kenny Atkinson’s coaching staff. But this move represented something more than just a personnel change in Cleveland. The two had grown close during their time together at the Utah Jazz from 2017 to 2020. And recently, we learned just how close they are. Including an example which led to Mitchell going nuclear after hearing Johnnie’s unfiltered feedback.
During the postgame press conference after the Cavs beat the Knicks, Donovan was asked about how Bryant’s arrival in Cleveland has helped him. He revealed that Johnnie is one of the people who helps hold him accountable. Even if that means screaming at him or even cussing him out. Something that his teammates don’t agree with.
Donovan said after the game, “I trust that guy with everything, man. It’s more than just a coach, that’s a brother, that’s family. That’s somebody that I trust with just life, let alone just basketball… There are times during the game where I hear him cuss me out, and my teammates be like, ‘Bro, he’s tripping.’ I’m like, ‘No, this is just Thursday,’ you know what I’m saying? Like, this is a regular day…I really thrive off coaching in that regard. I don’t like being coddled, I don’t like having my butt kissed.”
Oct 26, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) speaks to Cleveland Cavaliers associate head coach Johnnie
Bryant during a time out in the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
It seems that his teammates aren’t really on board with this behaviour, though. Mitchell said that Bryant demands accountability from him to such a degree that the rest of the Cavs players “think he’s crazy.” However, he quickly reiterated the fact that this is exactly the way he wants to be coached.
And we can’t argue with the results. The Cavs are the top seed in the East, and Donovan Mitchell is easily their best player. But to fully grasp the bond these two share, let’s hear from Mitchell about the time Bryant’s criticism helped him destroy a team in the second leg of a back-to-back.
Donovan Mitchell gives us an example of how Johnnie Bryant’s unusual coaching techniques bring results
To most people, a coach screaming and cussing at you sounds like a disaster in man management. However, most people are not Donovan Mitchell. And in the same press conference, he spoke about how Bryant screaming at him and telling him off like that made him snap out of a funk he was in during a game this year.
“There’s so many Johnnie stories, man. I think the first one that kind of caught everybody’s eye here, we were in Washington this year,” he said. “We played somebody first, and then played them on a back-to-back. And I was just going through the motions, trying to figure things out. And he let me have it, but in a way that I was like, this is normal. Everybody looked at me like, the hell’s going on?’…And then the second half, I had like 30 points,” recalled Mitchell.
And from this anecdote, one thing is clear. Johnnie Bryant’s methods may be unusual. But boy, do they get results! With the Cavs ready to coast into the postseason, Bryant and Mitchell have a chance to do something they’ve never done together: Win an NBA title!
But only when the moment arrives will we know if Johnnie will once again scream at Mitchell.
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