Utah won the series 4-2, and Mitchell became the seventh Jazz player to earn All-Rookie first team honors.ĭingers or dunks?: Mitchell was a two-sport athlete growing up, playing both baseball and basketball. Mitchell averaged 24.4 ppg while breaking the franchise’s single game scoring mark for a rookie twice (he had 33 in Game 4 and 38 in Game 6) to surpass Malone’s mark. He averaged 20.5 ppg, had two games of 40 or more points, seven games with 30 or more and nailed 187 3-pointers to set a rookie record. Mitchell, however, did not sit idly by and let those prognostications come to pass. Sweet start in SLC: Before 2017-18 began, little was expected of the Jazz after leading scorer Gordon Hayward left for Boston in free agency. In doing so, he became the second Jazz player to win a Dunk Contest title (Jeremy Evans was the other one). The rookie delivered on the showcase stage, wowing the crowd with off-the-backboard dunks, a slam over three people (his sister, Kevin Hart and Hart’s son) and a reverse 360 jam - in a Vince Carter Raptors jersey - to cap the night and clinch the title. 13 in 2017.ĭonovan Mitchell discusses life as a rookie, playing for the Jazz and more.ĭunk Contest champ as a rookie: Aaron Gordon’s withdrawal from the 2018 Dunk Contest due to injury became Mitchell’s gain. Not much in common, there, right? But in an interesting turn of Jazz fate, both players share the same Draft slot in their respective classes: Malone going No. Mitchell has been making his mark as a Euro-stepping, dunking and 3-point shooting guard. 13 in Utah: Hall of Famer and former MVP Karl Malone crafted his legacy as a hard-charging, bruising and post-dominating power forward for 18 seasons in a Jazz uniform. 24 pick in 2017) to the Nuggets for the rights to Mitchell. 24 and 30 in the 2017 draft, the front office worked its Draft-day magic again, sending reserve forward Trey Lyles and Tyler Lydon (the No. Although the Jazz were not slotted to pick until No. Four years later, Utah took a prime prospect from Denver once again. Thanks again, Denver: In 2013, the Jazz snagged a future Kia Defensive Player of the Year from the Denver Nuggets via a Draft-day trade when they acquired No. Here’s a look at 10 things to know about Utah’s standout guard, his life and his NBA career. 13 overall pick to leading superstar for the Utah Jazz in just four seasons. 13 overall pick in 2017 to a two-time All-Star.Ī Draft lottery pick in 2017, Donovan Mitchell has elevated himself from No.
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