2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year ladder: Week 5 power rankings

3. Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz

Last week: No. 7 (↑4)

The Utah Jazz looked like the scorned ex-girlfriend after Gordon Hayward left the organization for the Boston Celtics. Time heals all wounds as the saying goes as Donovan Mitchell has emerged as their go-to guy on offense.

Mitchell had a strong debut in Madison Square Garden, which puts him squarely in the race of the Rookie of the Year award. He put up 19 points, four rebounds and three assists in a losing effort to the New York Knicks, but he put the league on notice that he’s no slouch.

He’s averaging 14.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game so far during his rookie campaign. He’s performing at a level unseen since rookie Darrell Griffith back in the 1980-81 season.

The current downside for the Jazz is they’ve been without Rudy Gobert for the past three games. They’re 1-2 so far as he’s set to miss 4-6 weeks with a knee contusion. Mitchell’s production will be the key to victory as Utah continues to rely on its slow pace to score.