Checking on Donovan Mitchell’s progress in Year 3 for Utah Jazz

A polarizing figure in his own right for the Utah Jazz, Donovan Mitchell seems to be answering the call in what is an All-Star worthy season so far.

Donovan Mitchell‘s sophomore campaign with the Utah Jazz was a stark example of the expectations that come with NBA stardom.

After setting the league — and the Oklahoma City Thunder — on fire as a rookie, Mitchell remained stagnant the following season, even taking a step back in certain areas. He shot a ghastly 32.1 percent from the field and 25.6 percent from downtown in the playoffs as the Jazz were eliminated in their opening-round matchup with the Houston Rockets in five games.

The hype train had slowed and claims of overrated grew louder. Never mind the fact that Mitchell had the weight of a franchise on his then 22-year-old shoulders or that the Jazz lacked the complementary offensive firepower.

A sizable leap was expected in his second season and it’s absence led to a wave of criticism. Following Utah’s offseason additions, those expectations grew larger heading into the all-important junior campaign, but the early returns suggest Mitchell has answered the call.

In 35.0 minutes a night, Mitchell is averaging a career-high 25.9 points along with 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.

His field goal percentage is up 2.1 points to a respectable 45.3 percent and a decrease in 3-point attempts has resulted in a career-best 38.9 percentage from beyond the arc.

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Perhaps the biggest factor, though, behind Mitchell’s improved efficiency has been the way in which he’s been able to operate.

During his first two seasons, head coach Quin Snyder opted to have Mitchell facilitate the offense as a combo guard — 31.5 percent of his minutes came at the point guard position, a substantial burden for such a young player whose playmaking chops are still a work in progress.

The presence of Mike Conley has pushed Mitchell back to his natural 2-guard position to the tune of 89 percent of his total minutes. This, in turn, has allowed Mitchell to relinquish those uncomfortable responsibilities and have more of the scorer’s mentality that helped jump start his career in the first place.

Of Utah’s two-man lineups to log more than 100 minutes, that backcourt pairing has the highest net rating at  plus-12.9 in 340 minutes, four points higher than the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks.

No. 2 on that list is the duo of Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic. There are 35 players attempting at least six 3-pointers a game. The sweet-shooting forward ranks third in percentage at a blazing 44.7 percent to go along with 20.7 points per game.

Along with the surprising outside presence of Royce O’Neal — 51.4 percent on 2.2 nightly attempts — Utah’s paint is as open as it’s been for Mitchell. Combined with a heightened level of aggression, the third-year guard has taken 92 free throws so far this season, fifth-most for players with a usage rate north of 31.

With the departure of Kevin Durant and the injuries to both Splash Brothers, the Western Conference All-Stars have a few empty spots to fill with Mitchell a prime candidate on the 11-5 Jazz.

His first All-Star appearance won’t matter when it comes time to lead Utah to its first conference finals since 2007 and beyond. It will, however, remind the doubters of Mitchell’s talent and the ceiling he’s well on his way to reaching.