Utah Jazz: Donovan Mitchell standing out in NBA Summer League

The Utah Jazz may not have much to fret about as Donovan Mitchell continues to shine in NBA Summer League.

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell continues to turn heads with his play in NBA Summer League. Despite falling overtime to the Memphis Grizzlies 84-81 on Tuesday, Mitchell went off for a Las Vegas Summer League-high 37 points, eight steals and three rebounds.

Mitchell was 10-of-24 from the floor overall, making three three-pointers and making 14-of-16 free throws from the stripe. He continues to increase his stock as a potential Rookie of the Year candidate after getting the best of the third overall pick in the draft, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, a week ago in the Utah Summer League as well.

After being taken as the 13th pick in the NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets and promptly being traded to the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell has shown his worth so far in both the Las Vegas and Utah Summer League circuits.

Mitchell, a 6’3″ guard out of Louisville, has shown why he was such a coveted pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He scored 23 points and dished out five assists in his debut game of Utah Summer League, an 87-74 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Mitchell went 10-for-17 from the floor, 3-of-6 from the three-point line and also had three steals in the game. He followed that performance up with 15 points, four assists and three steals a few nights later against the Philadelphia 76ers in a 100-94 victory.

Donovan Mitchell put up averages of 15.3 points, 3.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 43.9 percent from the floor. The Jazz went 3-0 in the Utah Summer League. Although they are currently 0-3 in Vegas, Mitchell has given Utah fans a lot to look forward to.

Adding another weapon in Utah

Since the departure of Gordon Hayward to the Boston Celtics, Jazz fans haven’t had much to be cheer about until recently. With Donovan Mitchell’s emergence as a potential star, Hayward may become an afterthought before it’s all said and done. Mitchell is averaging 28.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in Vegas.

Paired up with center Rudy Gobert, Mitchell could prove to be a formidable force. The Jazz aren’t a bad team, even without Hayward. They’re a defensively oriented team and with Mitchell, they add a young and budding player.

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Mitchell has a 6’10” wingspan and as his eight steals showed, he’s got a knack for playing the passing lanes and being a top-notch defender. In Vegas, he’s averaging 6.0 steals in two games so far as the Summer League Playoffs begin on Wednesday.