Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell is one of a handful of players who are waiting to decide whether to stay in the draft. He wasn’t asked to participate in 5-on-5s, which is a good sign. Most of the players who were not asked are top prospects who have already signed with an agent.
Heading into the combine, Draft Express has Mitchell going 20th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. Tankathon has him as a late first-rounder. Mitchell has a great chance to go in the first round, but likely wants to hear from NBA teams what his range is. That being said, he’s about to turn 21 and age matters. So after a solid sophomore season, it could be tough for him to improve his draft stock.
He averaged 15.6 points, 2.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game this season, but shot just over 41 percent from the floor. Mitchell likely could play some point guard every now and then, but is better off at shooting guard.
He’s undersized at just 6-foot-3, but has the strength, foot speed, and length to defend the 2. Guarding two positions shouldn’t be a problem for him at the next level. Teams looking at Mitchell will likely need a good shooting point guard, as Mitchell has been streaky. He did improve, though, from a 25 percent three-point shooter to a 35 percent one this year. But that’s not exactly elite. When his shot is falling though, you’d better watch out.
Mitchell has the potential to be a secondary initiator who can defend the ball incredibly well. If he keeps improving as a shooter, he’s got a chance for a long NBA career.