Utah Jazz: Complete 2017 offseason grades
By Adam Coffman
The young hotshot: Donovan Mitchell
With their picks coming 24th and 30th, the Jazz weren’t expected to add any major contributors or prospects in this year’s draft. However, that all changed when they traded up 11 spots to get Donovan Mitchell.
A sophomore out of the University of Louisville, Mitchell is an athletic combo guard in the mold of Avery Bradley. Excelling on defense, particularly in the passing lanes, his frame and physical base are already at a high NBA level.
Early returns are good, as Mitchell tore up NBA Summer League, even putting up 37 points and eight steals in one contest. The one thing to watch will be his shot selection, but playing with a more talented lineup should alleviate some of his tendencies to chuck.
There’s a bit of competition at the guard positions on the Jazz’s depth chart, but if Mitchell is as ready as he’s shown himself to be, he’ll be in line for minutes at the backup shooting guard spot behind Rodney Hood.
Considering all they had to give up was an under-preforming Trey Lyles and the 24th pick, the Jazz appear to have made out like bandits in this deal. It’s obviously too early to make a declarative decision, but Utah looks to have earned high marks here.
Grade: A