NBA Playoffs must-follow storylines: Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets

3. How will Donovan Mitchell fare against a non-Houston team in the playoffs?

Donovan Mitchell has spent his last two playoff matchups tumbling back down the mountain he rapidly ascended following his postseason debut against OKC.

Across his last 10 playoff outings, the All-Star has averaged 20.4 points per game on 34.0 percent shooting from the field and 25.3 from beyond the arc. No wonder the Jazz have gone out in five games both times, unable to rely on the offensive production of a player they need to the most.

In Mitchell’s defense, all 10 of those games came against the Houston Rockets, a less than ideal matchup considering the hoard of options they can rotate amid a switch-heavy scheme.

The Jazz did their leader no favors with an offense ranked no higher than 14th in the previous two seasons. Houston could simply zero in on Utah’s leading scorer and dare an unfit supporting cast to make them pay, which guys like Gobert and Joe Ingles never did.

An offense ranked ninth during the regular season would help Mitchell’s efforts if such an attack was whole. The absence of Bogdanovic leaves driving lanes slightly more crowded. No Conley puts more pressure on Mitchell’s playmaking skills that are still in development.

Denver’s defense is far less formidable than Houston’s, 16th in the NBA. That should be plenty for Mitchell to perform at a level we already know he can. Even if his surroundings aren’t the picture-perfect circumstances Utah might’ve envisioned last summer.