He posted 15 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in 35 minutes in a win over undefeated Gonzaga and projected top-five pick Jalen Suggs, earning fans nationwide with his defensive intensity, burst, vision and shotmaking ability.Įven NBA players took notice, with the Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard tweeting at Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, "you play for Baylor bra? I'm confused lol."ĭespite clear similarities and a friendship and mutual respect between the two - they share the same agent - Davion Mitchell is no Donovan Mitchell clone. NBA draft 2021: Why Davion Mitchell is this draft's most NBA-ready prospectĭavion Mitchell became a household name this March thanks to his NCAA tournament heroics as the engine powering Baylor's title run.
DONOVAN MITCHELL WINGSPAN UPGRADE
That’s it.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser Only Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Karl-Anthony Towns have the makings of a mismatch. Yes, Gobert has his limitations on offense, and, yes, an offensively gifted center may “expose” him, but most of the schedule is catered for Gobert. The Jazz has a 5-7 record without Mitchell, and a 6-8 record without Gobert. Mitchell has led the Jazz to 115.2 points per game, and 108.1 without him, a little over a seven-point difference. The Jazz’s defensive rating without Gobert this season is 115.3, but with him, their rating is 108.6. But the final piece of defense ends with intimidation.
There are levels to big defense: shot-blocking, post-defense, footwork, hand placement, and the list goes on. The position of “big” is easily replaceable, but finding a defensive stud, ala Gobert, is harder to find. That’s just the nature of the player-empowerment era in the NBA.īut scoring guards are more plentiful than defensive pillars. If the Jazz is subjected to another early playoff exit, the whispers are only going to grow louder. A 0.7 drop from last season when the Jazz earned the No. Mitchell may already have an eye for a bigger market than Utah and he has earned it averaging 25.7 points per game.
The lower the rating the better the defense, and with Draymond being out with injury, it is Gobert’s title to lose.Īdding a 4th DPOY to his cabinet is nice, a nice pat on the back if you will, but it is not going to help sell Mitchell on the long-term prospects of the team. For comparison, Draymond Green’s defensive rating is 100.9, Giannis’ defensive rating is 105, and Joel Embiid’s defensive rating is 104.5. Gobert has earned a 101.3 defensive rating for the 21-22 NBA season. Outside of Royce O’Neil and maybe an engaged Mike Conley, the perimeter defense is made of turnstiles. His intimidation alone causes most attackers to turn into facilitators around the paint. This allows the Jazz to have subpar perimeter defenders knowing they have the Stifle Tower as backline defense. It’s Gobert’s 7-foot-1 frame and a 7-foot-9 wingspan that allows the Jazz to be above-average on that end of the floor. However, the Jazz’s recent success is almost equally due to the defensive dominance by three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. In what could be viewed as a make-or-break year, can the Utah Jazz make it all work?Īs whispers continue to grow, it’s natural for there to be some focus on the future of Donovan Mitchell, who has been the offensive engine for the Utah Jazz since he broke into the league. The dynamic duo of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell has had little success in the postseason.
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