Eleven games into the young NBA season, the Utah Jazz boast a 7-4 record and rank 13th in the league in offensive rating, ninth in defensive rating, and 10th in net rating. The Western Conference’s reigning No. 6 seed is off to a good start, and its star player has finally joined the party.
A season ago, Donovan Mitchell posted averages of 24.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game en route to his first career All-Star appearance. The dynamic 24-year-old shooting guard then exploded in the postseason, raising those numbers to 36.3, 5.0, and 4.9, respectively. He came up just a bit short in a first-round duel with Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets, but Mitchell managed to display his full range of talents on the biggest stage. It’s taken him a while to get up to speed, but his 2020-21 campaign is beginning to take the shape we expected it to.
On the season, Mitchell’s scoring average and efficiency (23.4 points per game on just 41.7% shooting from the field) aren’t anything special. He’s taken an average of 19.8 shots per game — in line with the past couple of seasons — but they weren’t falling to start the season. Through five games, Mitchell matched his attempts with 19.8 points per contest on 35.4/29.8/75.0 shooting splits that indicated a slump. Thanks to his 3-point shot, he’s looked like a new player as of late.
Rounding a Corner
In the six games since his season-opening slump, Mitchell seems rejuvenated. He’s taking the same amount of shots per game but is pouring in 26.3 points a night with much-improved splits (47.1/45.1/82.1). The difference is simple: Mitchell is taking advantage of quality looks from deep. It’s a simple explanation, but the proof is in the numbers.
Mitchell has always been a terrific catch-and-shoot player and this year, it’s been more of the same. Nearly half of his 3-point attempts are of that variety, and he’s canned them at a scorching 51.5% clip. Despite nailing just 27.5% of his pull-up attempts from beyond the arc, he remains a reliable shooter. Last season, those percentages were 43.2 and 32.1. Some regression to the mean is expected but nonetheless, this is who Mitchell is. Becoming more efficient on those pull-ups will only benefit his cause moving forward.
In 2019-20, Mitchell received just 2.7 catch-and-shoot attempts on 3-pointers. Part of the reason that number is 4.1 thus far in 2020-21 could be Mike Conley. Utah’s other backcourt member is experiencing quite the rebound season, attempting a career-high 7.2 3s a game and converting on them 43% of the time. Conley’s resurgence has taken a bit of pressure off Mitchell and may be resulting in better looks for him in the process.
Areas for Improvement
Two aspects of Mitchell’s game that still haven’t caught up with his long-range shooting are his scoring in the restricted area and from midrange. Last season, Mitchell had little trouble finishing in the restricted area. After making 60.6% of those attempts last season, he’s all the way down to 46.4% this season. His five- and six-game samples don’t show much of a difference, either (47.8% vs. 45.5%). He’s taking one more RA attempt per game than a season ago, so becoming more efficient is paramount.
The midrange game is largely frowned upon in today’s NBA, but Mitchell was effective in that area last season. Among players with at least three attempts per game, he ranked 10th in efficiency (46.0%). He’s 24th among 33 qualified players using the same parameters this season, hitting at just a 41.2% rate. As with the restricted area, his “tale of two seasons” isn’t in play here. Mitchell has actually been worse in the last six games (40.0%) than the first five (42.1%) from midrange.
There’s no denying Mitchell’s talent. He’s an underrated playmaker, a great catch-and-shoot marksman, and a good on-ball shot creator. With that said, he has plenty of room to grow. If he wants his game to truly make a leap into the elite ranks of the NBA, he’ll need to raise his percentages at the rim, near the rim, and in the midrange area. The Jazz have a star on their hands but when and if Mitchell rounds out his game, they may be dealing with a full-blown superstar.
