2019 NBA Playoffs: Houston Rockets vs. Utah Jazz preview

Key Question No. 2: Can Donovan Mitchell step up enough for Utah?

On of the biggest keys to this series will be the play of second-year wing Donovan Mitchell, both in regards to how he benefits Utah and how he will impact the opposition in Houston.

For the first half of his sophomore campaign, Mitchell experienced some consistency issues when it came to his game and his contributions night in and night out. In the latter part of the year, however, he turned things around and started playing much more consistently as the regular season came to a close.

That will have to continue to be the case throughout the opening round of the playoffs, especially since he will be lining up against James Harden on the other side of the court.

The Jazz are also hoping Mitchell is able to step up enough to help counter what Harden does offensively, similar to what Mitchell displayed in the postseason during his rookie year.

In 11 total games, including series against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Rockets, Mitchell took his game up a notch while averaging 24.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He also shot 42 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from 3.

Along with him needing to step up his game on the offensive side of the ball, Mitchell will wind up spending some time defending Harden. He may not draw the main assignment, but he has to be prepared on switches and whenever he’s forced to try and slow the Beard down.

One player that will be in the center of this series between Houston and Utah will be Mitchell and whether he is able to step up enough, on both ends of the floor, to help the Jazz possibly steal a few games.