The Rise of Donovan Mitchell and How Good is He?

By Liam Willerup

        Heading into the 2017 NBA Draft, Donovan Mitchell was a much overlooked recruit. In terms of shooting guards in that class, he wasn't even ranked the highest (that honor going to Kentucky guard Malik Monk). However as the story goes, a phenomenal workout with the Utah Jazz was enough for them to make a move up to Pick #13 to select the guard out of Louisville. Today, Donovan Mitchell is easily one of the best shooting guards in the game. Probably only ranking behind players like Harden, Beal, and Booker (due to his Finals berth). The biggest news about him in recent weeks has been Stephen A. Smith's take that he is already the best player in Utah Jazz franchise history. While that is disrespectful to players like John Stockton and Karl Malone, Mitchell is not a stretch to have his name in that discussion down the line. A player who has averaged 20 PPG every season of his career so far, Mitchell has plenty of upside as a player. He still needs to polish his defensive abilities, given he has the physical tools to excel. He can also expand his game by becoming a playmaker, perhaps increasing his assist total to 6+ a game while maintaining or lowering his turnovers. Looking into next season with Mitchell, I expect him to be a player that can contend for a scoring title. Looking at the roster in Utah, there is not really a player I can think of that is going to steal that many scoring opportunities from him. Clarkson comes off the bench, but Mitchell is still the top option over him. Conley and Bojan are very talented offensively, but are aging well into their 30s. Gobert also doesn't score much, nor have the arsenal of skills to put up plenty of points.

    So heading into next season, I think Mitchell will solidify himself as a Top 20 player in the NBA. He's gonna be hungry to compete, after failing to win the series against the Clippers. Who knows what the Jazz will look like, but it will be Mitchell at the helm regardless. I think Mitchell has a real shot to compete for a scoring title, as I see guys like Mitchell, Luka, Tatum all making strong cases to be the NBA's #1 scorer next season. Mitchell is on a path to greatness, whether it starts and ends in Utah, or he takes his talents somewhere else. The Jazz will more than likely regress as a team with this current roster, so all pressure will be on Mitchell next season to deliver another All-NBA caliber season and show why he's a shining star in the NBA.