Donovan Mitchell has already decided to re-sign with the Cavaliers before last season ended, but he wanted to find a way to turn the team into a title contender, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The solution he found was to sacrifice part of his role in the offense so that other players – in particular Evan Mobley – could get more involved.

This strategy has worked perfectly for the Cavs, who have the league’s best record at 31-4 and are in the midst of a 10-game winning streak. They host the West-leading Thunder tonight in the most anticipated game of the season.

“When I re-signed here, my first intention was that we have to get the best out of Ev.” Mitchell said. “I’ve never played with a guy like Ev. So how can we get the most out of this partnership? Saw it in the Boston playoff series. He has the talent. It was more about him believing it every night. I want him to think, ‘I’m that guy.’ Now you surround him with a guy like me, and that makes it difficult for any defense. Only when he’s on the floor with him can he play in a certain way. This also allowed me to grow.”

A five-time All-Star, Mitchell has breathed new life into Cleveland basketball since being acquired in a trade more than two seasons ago. He could have made almost any demand to sign the extension, so it was a bit surprising that he wanted to share the ball more. Him and new coach Kenny Atkinson When they met for lunch in June, they began mapping out the revamped offense and increased commitment to Mobley.

“That was my growth” Mitchell said. “When people ask, ‘What’s the next level? What are you working on?’ That’s what it takes. You don’t know what will come of it. Then you really have to sit down and ask yourself, “What do you want?” Do you really want to win? How badly do you want to win?’ When I say these things, I will still be myself, but I will understand when to pick the right spots and be smart about it. It is not easy. But it is what is needed. Everyone knows me as a goalscorer, but with this team it doesn’t have to be 30 every night. My job as a leader is to figure out what impact I have on the game that night. How do I do competitions? It’s about accepting that, understanding it and being okay with it – and that’s what I do.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

• Isaac Okoro is active for today’s game against Oklahoma City, Fedor explains in a separate story. Okoro was allowed to return after missing the last eight games with a sprained ACL in his right shoulder. He is expected to come off the bench in a limited role Dean Wade According to Fedor, he remains in the starting eleven. Shooting specialist Sam Merrill Will miss his third straight game with a right ankle sprain, Fedor added Cavaliers have not fielded a completely healthy team in any game this season.
• Before hosting the Bulls tonight, Pacemaker trainer Rick Carlisle spoke about the offseason loss of Jalen Smith in free agency, tweets Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. He said the organization had hoped to keep Smith but couldn’t match the offer from Chicago. “We wanted him back, but we could only pay him so much.” Carlisle said. “…He had a very good year and he had a great second year for us that prepared him for the Bulls. For financial reasons he had to take advantage of this opportunity.”
• Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu has made significant improvement in his strained right lower calf, according to Chicago Sports Network’s KC Johnson (Twitter link). trainer Billy Donovan said Dosunmu has started running on a treadmill and is “getting closer and closer to playing.”