Utah Jazz: 3 reasons to stand pat at 2019 NBA Trade Deadline
By Mason McFee
3. Donovan Mitchell’s efficiency is trending upwards
Of all the up-and-coming young stars in the league, Donovan Mitchell carries as large of a load for the franchise and the fanbase’s expectations as anyone. Add in a team that’s coming off a surprise playoff run and lost its top two point guards for an extended period of time and you have either a recipe for disaster or success.
For Mitchell, it’s been more of the latter.
As already mentioned, the Jazz are 7-3 over their last 10 games and are currently on a four-game win streak ahead of Wednesday’s tilt with the Los Angeles Clippers. The recent success is a welcome sign for Jazz fans, but Mitchell shouldn’t be praised for his scoring — rather, it’s been his efficiency.
Mitchell has scored in single digits just four times this season and has scored in double digits in every other game, including six straight games of 25-plus points. Also in that same stretch, Mitchell has shot below 43.1 percent (his career average) only twice.
For a player that’s asked to be the face of a franchise, primary scorer and now the team’s starting point guard for the time being, that’s not bad at all. If this uptick in efficiency holds, the Jazz don’t need to look elsewhere for help.