Utah Jazz: 5 goals for Donovan Mitchell’s rookie season
By Adam Coffman
5. Efficient three-point shooting
The NBA in its present state is built on outside shooting, and the Jazz have done well to stay ahead of the curve, ranking ninth in terms of percentage league-wide.
Each one of the five players that shot 37 percent or higher from three for the Jazz last season averaged at least 23 minutes per game. Those who struggled from behind the arc, such as Alec Burks or Trey Lyles, saw their minutes dip sharply.
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Mitchell made 35.4 percent of his threes last season at Louisville, but it’s important to note that he did so on a whopping 6.6 attempts per game. Cutting down his diet toward more open jumpers should help bring that number up.
Although the Jazz shot a good percentage from three, they didn’t take that many attempts, ranking 17th in that department. Some of that was due to their slow pace, but they also had an issue with a lack of more dynamic shooters, particularly those who could pull up off the dribble.
In Las Vegas Summer League, Mitchell has made just six of his 22 three-point attempts (27.3 percent), though he did make five of his 13 long range attempts (38.5 percent) in five Utah Jazz Summer League games. Overall, his 31.4 percent shooting from deep could use improvement.
Mitchell could give them a more combustible option off the bench in this regard. If he can hit threes at a high percentage and volume, his rookie season will be even closer to a success.