The Utah Jazz made a lot of noise on draft night when they traded up to get Donovan Mitchell. What should the team be looking for in his rookie season?
For a team that was expected to make four quiet selections towards the late first and second rounds, the Utah Jazz certainly wound up making more noise than was expected of them on draft night.
Their name didn’t pop up in trade talks at all until it was reported that they would be sending the 24th pick and 2015 draftee Trey Lyles to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for the 13th overall pick, which would be used to select University of Louisville combo guard Donovan Mitchell.
The trade and subsequent pick were lauded as a great move and fit, but that by itself won’t determine how the 2017 draft and Mitchell’s selection in particular will be looked back on in the future.
There remains much to be done on Mitchell’s end to make the Jazz happy with their pick. Although the team is coming of a landmark 50-win season, there are areas of improvement where he can step in and contribute right away.
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Here are five things he should focus on during his rookie season.