Utah Jazz: Ranking the last 10 first-round picks

1. Donovan Mitchell (2017)

As good as Rudy Gobert is nothing has changed the future for the Jazz as much as the success that Donovan Mithcell has been. The offensive hub that he has been for this team has changed their identity as a whole, making them more than an elite defensive team and allowing them to continue their positive trajectory when they lost their franchise player in free agency.

Coming out of college Mitchell looked to be a solid late lottery pick with the potential to be a guard off the bench. This led to 12 teams (including my Detroit Pistons) passing on him thinking he was not going to be an impact player and certainly not right off the bat. So the league was obviously shocked when he averaged 20.5 points 3.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals as a 21-year-old and led the Jazz to the second round of the playoffs, matching the greatest success of Hayward’s tenure.

Last season saw Mitchell improved overall, upping his numbers to 23.8 points, 4.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists. Being a stellar floor spacer and smart team defender is the icing on the cake. He made the first of likely many All-Star games this year alongside Gobert and the team was primed to be one of the contenders going into the playoffs before being slightly derailed by a number of injuries.

Mitchell may end up being the best player in this draft once everything is said and done. Jayson Tatum, De’Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo and many others will have something to say about it for sure but he is off to an amazing start. This is the kind of pick that changes any franchise. For a team in the late lottery, in a small market, reeling from losing their franchise player it goes a step further. There was no other choice for number one.