Utah Jazz: 5 things to hope for in 2019 as season heats up

Utah Jazz: 5 things to hope for in 2019

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - DECEMBER 27: The Utah Jazz stand for the National Anthem prior to the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 27, 2018 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images /

2. A more efficient Donovan Mitchell

This has been in no way a surprise and shouldn’t be to NBA fans who have watched Donovan Mitchell play in any game so far in his career, but Mitchell has been at the forefront of everything Utah is doing on offense in 2018-19 — both in his success and his struggles.

Mitchell is still a promising, young talent in the league, who’s starting to show that he may be capable of putting an All-Star caliber season together someday soon. He’s currently averaging 20.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 steals in 32.4 minutes per game this season. He ranks first on the Jazz in points and steals, while ranking 28th in the NBA in scoring and tied for 10th in steals.

However, his efficiency has been a major problem this season, shooting just 40.7 percent from the field and 29.1 percent from 3-point range — this after shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 34 percent from deep as a rookie.

Mitchell might be at least another year away from earning an All-Star nod in the Western Conference that is filled with really solid guards, but he’s still on an upward trajectory that will make it harder to deny him a spot on the All-Star team for years to come.

As the 2019 gets underway, the Jazz should hope that Mitchell is able to recapture some of his efficiency as they aim to make a strong second half run.

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