Utah Jazz: The Donovan Mitchell 2018 Slam Dunk Contest primer

With Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell taking part in the 2018 Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday night, let’s get you ready for the contest by looking back at the best dunks from Mitchell this season.

Something that many have been calling for and hoping would happen for a majority of the 2017-18 NBA season is officially happening.

A day after playing in the Rising Stars Challenge, Utah Jazz rookie guard Donovan Mitchell will be taking part in the 2018 Verizon Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday night in Los Angeles.

Mitchell, who has been very impressive finishing at the rim so far this season, will have some tough competition in the contest which annually takes place on Saturday night of NBA All-Star Weekend.

The rookie standout will take on a high-flying trio of guard Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers, newly acquired forward Larry Nance Jr. of the Cleveland Cavaliers and rookie guard Dennis Smith Jr. of the Dallas Mavericks in the competition.

Mitchell joins the trio of Oladipo, Nance and Smith after being named a replacement for Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon, who withdrew from the competition with a hip injury.

The quartet will kick off the Verizon Slam Dunk Contest at 8 p.m. (ET) on Saturday at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. The competition will be aired live on TNT.

In honor of Mitchell being in the contest, let’s take a look back at some of the rookie’s top dunks from the season thus far.

Oct. 28 vs. Los Angeles Lakers

The first major highlight of the year for Mitchell came against the Los Angeles Lakers in a 96-81 win.

Mitchell finished with a team-high 22 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assist in the game. In the third quarter, he did this:

https://twitter.com/LeadingNBA/status/924497129841745921

Nov. 30 at Los Angeles Clippers

Mitchell showcased his crazy athleticism and high-flying ability on Nov. 30 against the Los Angeles Clippers in a 126-107 win at STAPLES Center (where the Dunk Contest just so happens to be).

The rookie tallied 24 points, six assists and one steal in the game. In the second quarter, Joe Ingles threw one up for a driving Mitchell and the rookie did the rest:

https://twitter.com/teamflightbros/status/936463097547632640

Dec. 13 at Chicago Bulls

On Dec. 13, Mitchell took his highlights to the Eastern Conference, this time against the Chicago Bulls in a 103-100 loss. In the game, Mitchell finished with a team-high 32 points and six assists, while adding three rebounds and two steals.

A note for opponents: When Mitchell has the ball in the lane, look out.

Dec. 26 at Denver Nuggets

A day after Christmas, Mitchell wasn’t in the giving mood against the Denver Nuggets in a 107-83 loss. In an off night, the rookie guard finished with 13 points, six assists and three rebounds in Denver.

In the third quarter, though, Mitchell showed us all he won’t back down from anyone.

Dec. 30 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Another bright spot in a highlight-filled season was against the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 104-101 win. Mitchell set the tone early on with a nice slam from an alley-oop pass from Ricky Rubio.

The rookie finished with a team-high 29 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals.

Jan. 7 at Miami Heat

The alley-oop party continued against the Miami Heat on Jan. 7 in a 103-102 loss.

In the game, Mitchell finished with a team-high 27 points, along with three assists, two rebounds and one steal. In the third quarter, Mitchell showed off his vertical while finishing off an alley-oop from Thabo Sefolosha.

Jan. 17 at Sacramento Kings

On Jan. 17, Mitchell officially put the NBA on notice in Utah’s 120-105 win over the Sacramento Kings. In the game, Mitchell finished with a team-high 34 points, three steals and three assists.

In the opening quarter, the rookie guard broke out an impressive breakaway windmill dunk:

https://twitter.com/NBAUK/status/953941291728912384

Later on in that same game, Mitchell threw down a vicious one-handed slam in the third quarter.

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/953849075656548352

Jan. 24 at Detroit Pistons

The alley-oops continued on Jan. 24 against the Detroit Pistons in a 98-95 overtime win. Mitchell concluded the game with 15 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals.

To start off the game, the dunk contest participant did this:

Feb. 9 vs. Charlotte Hornets

Most recently, Mitchell backed up the NBA’s choice to name him a replacement for Saturday’s dunk contest, this time against the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 9 in a 106-94 win. Mitchell finished the game with a team-best 25 points, along with six rebounds and four assists.

En route to the win, well, you can just watch the rest:

Seeing what Mitchell has done this season and the highlight dunks he has already performed has us all excited for Saturday night’s Verizon Slam Dunk Contest.

If you need another video to further convince yourself about Mitchell’s athleticism, we’ll just leave this throwback video here for you to enjoy:

Next: 2017-18 Week 18 NBA Power Rankings

Now it’s time for the rookie phenom to back it up on dunking’s biggest stage in Los Angeles.