Last June, I attended the NBA Draft held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Although it occurred the night before my high school graduation and cost a significant amount of money, I gratefully salvaged the opportunity to witness teenage phenoms fulfill their aspirations of playing professional basketball.
Prominent names, including Fultz, Ball, and Tatum, were unsurprisingly scooped up within the first five picks of the draft. NBA scouts salivated over these prospective players as they maintain characteristics for developing into essential components of an organization’s future.
One player that was overlooked during the draft process, however, was Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell, a sophomore shooting guard out of the University of Louisville, was selected thirteenth overall by the Denver Nuggets but was subsequently traded to the Utah Jazz on the same night. Mitchell’s selection provoked a rather indifferent reaction from those in attendance. Fans were more curious to see who would be taken in the top ten, as opposed to the latter third Lottery picks
As a North Carolina fan, I was able to see Mitchell represent the ACC on multiple occasions. The New York native displayed glimpses of promise, but I honestly never thought he’d amount to much in a professional environment.
I was wrong.
Fast forward 11 months and Mitchell is a candidate for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Alongside teammates Ricky Rubio and Joe Ingles, Mitchell overpowered veteran superstars Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony, leading the Jazz to an unprecedented first-round playoff series victory over the favored Oklahoma City Thunder.
Assuming an underdog mentality, the fearless 21-year-old captured the attention of NBA fans worldwide by averaging 28.5 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting against the Thunder.
Unfortunately, the Jazz was eliminated in the subsequent round by the Houston Rockets. Although this outcome was expected, it's still disappointing to see Mitchell’s magical rookie campaign come to a halt.
Nevertheless, Donovan Mitchell is the NBA Rookie of the Year.
What about Ben Simmons? He almost averaged a triple-double in his first professional season! Or Jayson Tatum? He’s taken over the reigns of Boston’s playoff run during Kyrie Irving’s absence!
No. I’m tired of hearing it. Philadelphia and Boston were already playoff teams before the season started.
Following the departure of Gordon Hayward last off-season, the Utah Jazz was brushed off by experts. “They have to rebuild. You can’t build a playoff team around Rudy Gobert. You can lock them in as a Western Conference outcast.”
Introduce Donovan Mitchell, and what has the Jazz become? A second-round playoff team in the superior NBA conference. Gordon Hayward never led the Jazz to a playoff series victory during his seven years with the team, just saying.
Mitchell has exemplified grit and maturity during his first season in the NBA. After drawing comparisons to Kevin Durant, I’m sure Jeff Bower, General Manager of the Detroit Pistons, is kicking himself for having drafted Luke Kennard before Mitchell.
Luke Kennard. Yeah, that was bad.
As a basketball fan who’s sick and tired of seeing the same teams in the conference finals every year, I view Mitchell’s progression as a huge step in the right direction for the league. If Mitchell can recruit other talented players to join him in Utah, the Jazz will be a really scary team in a couple of years.
He may not win the award, but Donovan Mitchell is my Rookie of the Year.
Remember the name.