Since Donovan Mitchell has been billed as a defensive specialist since he came into the NBA, it's worth exploring his defense metrics to see if he is living up to those expectations. Though he has all the physical tools, some say that Mitchell lacks the drive to be a good defender. Critics say that he doesn't always put the effort in when playing defense and that his defensive strategies have been going down each season.

Donovan Mitchell is one of the most offensively talented players in the NBA. Hand him the ball and he can do amazing things for his team. But his defense is sorely lacking. In the 2020-21 season, he was 55th in defensive win replacements, down from 53rd in 2021-22. He's still in somewhat respectable company, but is it worth all the hype over him? And according to Scorecard from FiveThiryEight's RAPTOR, he had a -2.7 Defensive Rating for the 2021-2022 year.

However, he has still managed to be a respectable defender according to some advanced metrics. In fact, he's averaged at least one steal per game throughout his career. He's also had some impressive performances on defense, including a 37 point, eight steal game in the Summer League.

So while his defense metrics may not be as impressive as his offensive stats, Mitchell is still a solid defender who can hold his own on the court. This could be due to his focus on scoring rather than defense. However, with his new team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Mitchell is looking forward to showing the world that he can play defense.

Whether or not Donovan Mitchell will ever live up to the hype as a defensive specialist remains to be seen. But with his impressive basketball skills and long wingspan, there's no doubt that he has the potential to be a force on defense. Only time will tell if he can improve his game and truly become the defensive player everyone expects him to be. Until then, basketball fans will just have to wait and see what he does next.