The countdown begins in earnest now for the 2017 NBA draft as we reach Saturday, and teams all over the league are finalizing their boards and going over different trade scenarios, plus trying to decipher what others in the league are leaning towards doing. Amidst that intrigue, today we put the game of Louisville guard Donovan Mitchell under high definition. In previous editions, we have examined Bam Adebayo, T.J. Leaf, OG Anunoby, Semi Ojeleye, Luke Kennard, Derrick White, and John Collins. You can find those profiles elsewhere on Pacersdigest, and ones from previous years either on PD or out in the internet universe.
Donovan Mitchell, who wears #45 in honor of Michael Jordan’s last number, is a freak athlete even among NBA players. Measuring in at 6’3 with a monstrous 6’10 wingspan, the kid they call “Spider” stood out among the very best in athletic testing at the NBA combine. Mitchell scored the best time in the sprint since 2008, with the 4th best max vertical of 40.5 inches and a no step vertical of 36.5 inches. Add to that his sculpted body of 211lbs with low body fat and you can see why I along with others think he has perhaps the most NBA body in the draft. No projection here for Mitchell…..from a physical standpoint he can play right now. Many props of course for the his college coach Rick Pitino, who emphasizes the physical profile of his players to an almost obsessive level. Pitino forced Mitchell to lose 15 pounds after his freshman year at Louisville, and you see the resulting increase in his athletic prowess easily on tape this year.
Born 9/7/1996, Mitchell actually was on a much different career path in high school. Nicole and Donovan Mitchell Sr had ideas of their son playing in the major leagues, as baseball was young Donovan’s best sport as a youth. Mitchell Sr himself played 7 years as a minor leaguer, and still works today for the New York Mets front office. But a severe infield crash between shortstop Mitchell and his own catcher on a windblown infield pop-up injured both players, and forced Mitchell to miss the summer AAU basketball season, when he soon realized how much he missed the game when it was taken away from him.
The family made the the key decision after that crash that directly led us to where we are today, which was to send Donovan to the elite basketball prep school, Brewster Academy. The New Hampshire school recruits throughout the northeast, and won back to back mythical high school national championships while Mitchell was there. That exposure nationally got attention for the hyper-athletic guard from the best programs in the country, and eventually Pitino won a recruiting battle with Villanova and brought Mitchell to Louisville.
Mitchell was highly productive in his sophomore year for the Cardinals, playing in big time games in circus atmospheres against the nation’s best. He averaged 15.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, and 2.7 assists per game, all while shooting a very good 81% from the foul line and knocking down 35% of his shots from long distance. His real calling card was defensively, as he ranks as a first team all ACC defensive player. Still just 20 years old, Mitchell has a nice combination of track record and potential to dream on for evaluators, scouts, and front offices around the league. How do I see him as a player? Let’s find out down below…...
First and foremost for me is his defensive potential, so that is where I begin.
In a time where freak point guards are all over the place, guys like Mitchell are the natural evolution to what teams need, namely a fellow athletic unicorn to help contain and guard the best of the best. Mitchell looks and plays like he was designed in a lab by a mad scientist defensive coach.
You want length? Mitchell has it in spades. At 6’10 wingspan, shooting over the top of Mitchell is a major hindrance for opposing guards. You want quick twitch? In addition to his length, Mitchell has freak ability to not just jump big time high off 2 feet, but he is bouncy enough to stop quickly out of his slide and rise quickly to contest shots. You want quick hands and anticipation? Mitchell has it. He can get steals both on and off the ball, and he has been taught how to use his hands and move at a maximum efficiency with his body by Coach Pitino and his developmental staff.
I love how Mitchell moves his feet on the ball and pressures people with marginal handles without fouling or getting off balance. Hand placement is so critical in how well a person can slide, and Mitchell has been well taught. He keeps his head over his feet, which keeps his body in line and allows him the biomechanical freedom to move his body. Mitchell will do as good a job as anyone at staying in front of even the best ballhandlers. If you don’t have a dynamic point guard like a John Wall, or Steph Curry, or Kyrie Irving, or Damon Lilliard, then the next best thing is to have someone who can defend those guys, and cut those teams offensive plans off at the head.
Having the athleticism to be a big time defender is only half the battle though. You have to have the toughness, desire, and cajones to take the kind of challenge every night, along with the intelligence and conditioning to do the job. Mitchell has all of that with room to spare. I wrote “JYD” all over my notes watching him, which is my scouting short hand for “Junkyard Dog”. Mitchell is relentless, smart, and tougher than a $2 steak defensively. He will give you a big time point guard defender, plus give you the strength and length to let him guard all perimeter positions without much trouble. You’ll be able to match him up, and play whatever defensive schemes you as a coach choose. He will be a premium guard defender, I don’t think there is any question in anyone’s mind about that.
Offensively, the skills and the fit aren’t nearly as clear, and the potential upside he possesses on that side of the floor is murky.
I think generally speaking he is a point guard defensively, but isn’t exactly a point guard offensively to my eye. He isn’t “pure” by any means, and if you play him as a point guard only without any mitigating factors to help him in personnel or scheme, likely your team’s offense won’t quite cut it at a championship level.
Yet, he does have some powers as a ballhandler you can use. Out of the ballscreen game, I think he will shoot much to well to just go under all screens, as he has a nice hard dribble pull up jump shot. He elevates and has the length that you can’t bother his shot really, and I anticipate that he will shoot it good enough you can’t go under him. Mitchell also has the very low crossover and big dribble strides you need to split the screen/roll and get to the paint, which is problematic. What he can’t do yet though hinders him in traffic, as he can’t finish well at all with his left hand, and he can’t seem to elevate quickly off 1 foot for some reason. That is a big weakness, because it takes away a “Euro-step” move from him, and it slows him down, because he has to reign in his steps to elevate from 2 feet. That’s a problem.
It is also a problem that he doesn’t always see open guys. I think, though I am not sure, that he “predetermines” his move and doesn’t really read the defense. I don’t think he is selfish exactly, but I do think he makes up his mind what he is going to do prior to the catch, and he does ti no matter how the defense reacts or how the offense flows from it.
I like him much better off the ball, running around screens using his great body and speed, attacking bad closeouts, or spotting up. His 3 point percentage was a mediocre 35%, but a deeper look inside the numbers shows you he is better than that. The numbers say that on “open” shots he was one of the best shooters in the country, and examination of his shooting form along with 81% from the line show that to be true.
Form wise, he is really, really solid, and I think he will only improve with time. I see no reason why the added distance will bother him at this level, and I project him to be a 40% 3 point shooter in time, as long as he limits himself to open, catch and shoot bombs in rhythm, created by others and not himself. When closely guarded and/or rushed, he will get his right thumb on the ball sometimes, which shows up on tape when he misses some of his jumpers in ghastly ways. But unguarded and unrushed, his form is very clean, and I suggest his future employer try to limit his looks to those open shots in rhythm, instead of hoping he creates something out of whole cloth.
Mitchell has good footwork, getting good turn with his feet and nice alignment of the shooting elbow to the rim. His release is high and quick off the catch, and off the bounce he can use his advanced hang dribble and jab game to get to his preferred one dribble left pull up game most of the time. I think he will make the spot up shot very well, and he will be able to shake a bad defender or bad closeout at a good level too. I don’t love him as a ballhandler in a ballscreen situation, but he can do it if you play a team with a weakness on the floor in that area.
Mitchell is fun to watch as a ballhandler after he gets a defensive rebound, but have some antacids handy. Mitchell is going to go at full speed, 100% maximum with no governor right after he gets it. He is going to make some spectacular finishes for you, and he is also going to make some headscratching decisions too. Playing with no fear like he does is both a buoy and a burden for you…..he doesn’t seem to always have a plan with the ball, and he doesn’t always seem to be able to count. Sometimes he’ll crash into 3 or 4 defenders with in disadvantage situations, and he lacks the passing chops and vision to get out of it.
It’s better for you if he is next to a better ballhandler, instead of being your primary mover and shaker. Filling a wing he can be spectacular both as a lob finisher and as a transition draw/kick open shooter. Basically, you want Mitchell making shots, not making decisions, and that covers pretty much his entire offensive portfolio. Bring his usage down, surround him with guys and a system that fits him, and he can be effective. He can’t be the straw that stirs your drink offensively if your team plans on being any good. But in a more limited role with better space, he can be really good for you, especially as a knockdown shooter in a fast paced game.
Lastly, we need to talk about this kid’s intangibles.
Playing hard is a skill….you’ve heard me say that a million times. Playing with enthusiasm is contagious, and so is swagger and confidence and toughness. This kid has “it”....an intangible quality that makes your team better. A kid who was the leader in other sports, a captain, a kid who was a leader in his high school student government, and a kid who plays at a 100 mph all the time. He doesn’t always play smart….we know that. He forces things some, he settles for too many bad shots, can’t finish with his left hand, etc. He isn’t going to be a star, but he will be a high level defender who helps your team win.
So, in summary, what do we have in Donovan Mitchell?
I think we have a pitbull defender who can switch and guard all the perimeter spots, and who can lockdown point guards especially. I think we have a limited (to a degree) but very useful secondary ballhandler who also can make open 3 point shots and run the floor, plus who is a high character guy with premium athleticism, and who is young enough to have higher upside and potential than even I predict he will have. I think he is mainly a point guard defender, but you can put him on the opponents’ best guard if matchups dictate that, but offensively you’d rather have him play off someone else, ideally someone bigger who can be your main creator.
Add that up, if he reaches all of that, and you have an especially interesting and very key player for upper echelon teams, if he develops and gets in the right situation.
Indiana currently isn’t a perfect natural fit for him at #18, but if it were me, depending on who else might have fallen, I’d take him and sort it out later, and try and use him the way I’ve described. I think he can help you win from jump street, and adding him to a perimeter defense with Paul George would be a big time asset for Indiana. The defensive fit is clear, the offensive fit here not so much….but I’d likely take him anyway. He is too good, too young, with too much upside and a high floor/character to pass.
It might actually benefit him, long term, to go to a worse team than we are, as they could NOT follow my advice above, and instead could put the ball in his hands and see if he could actually become a full time point guard. I don’t think that would work, but it might. In the very least, you could let him expand his game and skills in a non pressure way, and see if he can become something even better than I imagine him being.
Or, other teams might like just putting him in slowly, developing him in spots exactly where he can help them when today, so he can experience success earlier and a winning culture. I can easily see how Mitchell could be a trade up target for a team in the back of the 1st round to move up and get, and I’d be trying to do that if I were a playoff team, especially in the west.
However, despite me having him rated high on our Pacers-centric board, I can see a possibility he would slip to us. The fit for him isn’t clean everywhere, and I do think most teams view him as sort of a combo guard….if you think he is an eventual lead offensive guard, someone likely takes him very high and we don’t have to worry about it. I don’t see that, but I can see how you would.
I can see the Knicks liking him at #8, and viewing him as a triangle type point guard….I think that is his draft ceiling. But I hope for him he doesn’t end up there, as I think the Knicks are a dumpster fire.
He’d be scary at Milwaukee at #17, next to Giannis, I think that is his floor...but if I am wrong and they pass, he will potentially be a Pacer. This is an outcome we can root for I think.
But ultimately I think he fits very well, both culturally, and skill wise, in South Beach, and I suspect he ends up playing for the Miami Heat, next to Goran Dragic, and being creatively used by Eric Spoelstra and Pat Riley. I think the Heat take him at pick #14.
Certainly, the potential fall of Donovan Mitchell is something for us to watch out for on Thursday. The Pacers are doing their due diligence we know on Mitchell, who worked out for us recently and reportedly has played well in every city he plays in and with everyone he interviews with. His name will be one who is a big topic on the board I think as we finish the run up to June 22 and for days beyond.
NBA comparable: A better shooting Marcus Smart, a bigger Patrick Beverly, Avery Bradley.
As always, the above is just my opinion only. Feel free to disagree in the comments below!
Tbird
Donovan Mitchell, who wears #45 in honor of Michael Jordan’s last number, is a freak athlete even among NBA players. Measuring in at 6’3 with a monstrous 6’10 wingspan, the kid they call “Spider” stood out among the very best in athletic testing at the NBA combine. Mitchell scored the best time in the sprint since 2008, with the 4th best max vertical of 40.5 inches and a no step vertical of 36.5 inches. Add to that his sculpted body of 211lbs with low body fat and you can see why I along with others think he has perhaps the most NBA body in the draft. No projection here for Mitchell…..from a physical standpoint he can play right now. Many props of course for the his college coach Rick Pitino, who emphasizes the physical profile of his players to an almost obsessive level. Pitino forced Mitchell to lose 15 pounds after his freshman year at Louisville, and you see the resulting increase in his athletic prowess easily on tape this year.
Born 9/7/1996, Mitchell actually was on a much different career path in high school. Nicole and Donovan Mitchell Sr had ideas of their son playing in the major leagues, as baseball was young Donovan’s best sport as a youth. Mitchell Sr himself played 7 years as a minor leaguer, and still works today for the New York Mets front office. But a severe infield crash between shortstop Mitchell and his own catcher on a windblown infield pop-up injured both players, and forced Mitchell to miss the summer AAU basketball season, when he soon realized how much he missed the game when it was taken away from him.
The family made the the key decision after that crash that directly led us to where we are today, which was to send Donovan to the elite basketball prep school, Brewster Academy. The New Hampshire school recruits throughout the northeast, and won back to back mythical high school national championships while Mitchell was there. That exposure nationally got attention for the hyper-athletic guard from the best programs in the country, and eventually Pitino won a recruiting battle with Villanova and brought Mitchell to Louisville.
Mitchell was highly productive in his sophomore year for the Cardinals, playing in big time games in circus atmospheres against the nation’s best. He averaged 15.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, and 2.7 assists per game, all while shooting a very good 81% from the foul line and knocking down 35% of his shots from long distance. His real calling card was defensively, as he ranks as a first team all ACC defensive player. Still just 20 years old, Mitchell has a nice combination of track record and potential to dream on for evaluators, scouts, and front offices around the league. How do I see him as a player? Let’s find out down below…...
First and foremost for me is his defensive potential, so that is where I begin.
In a time where freak point guards are all over the place, guys like Mitchell are the natural evolution to what teams need, namely a fellow athletic unicorn to help contain and guard the best of the best. Mitchell looks and plays like he was designed in a lab by a mad scientist defensive coach.
You want length? Mitchell has it in spades. At 6’10 wingspan, shooting over the top of Mitchell is a major hindrance for opposing guards. You want quick twitch? In addition to his length, Mitchell has freak ability to not just jump big time high off 2 feet, but he is bouncy enough to stop quickly out of his slide and rise quickly to contest shots. You want quick hands and anticipation? Mitchell has it. He can get steals both on and off the ball, and he has been taught how to use his hands and move at a maximum efficiency with his body by Coach Pitino and his developmental staff.
I love how Mitchell moves his feet on the ball and pressures people with marginal handles without fouling or getting off balance. Hand placement is so critical in how well a person can slide, and Mitchell has been well taught. He keeps his head over his feet, which keeps his body in line and allows him the biomechanical freedom to move his body. Mitchell will do as good a job as anyone at staying in front of even the best ballhandlers. If you don’t have a dynamic point guard like a John Wall, or Steph Curry, or Kyrie Irving, or Damon Lilliard, then the next best thing is to have someone who can defend those guys, and cut those teams offensive plans off at the head.
Having the athleticism to be a big time defender is only half the battle though. You have to have the toughness, desire, and cajones to take the kind of challenge every night, along with the intelligence and conditioning to do the job. Mitchell has all of that with room to spare. I wrote “JYD” all over my notes watching him, which is my scouting short hand for “Junkyard Dog”. Mitchell is relentless, smart, and tougher than a $2 steak defensively. He will give you a big time point guard defender, plus give you the strength and length to let him guard all perimeter positions without much trouble. You’ll be able to match him up, and play whatever defensive schemes you as a coach choose. He will be a premium guard defender, I don’t think there is any question in anyone’s mind about that.
Offensively, the skills and the fit aren’t nearly as clear, and the potential upside he possesses on that side of the floor is murky.
I think generally speaking he is a point guard defensively, but isn’t exactly a point guard offensively to my eye. He isn’t “pure” by any means, and if you play him as a point guard only without any mitigating factors to help him in personnel or scheme, likely your team’s offense won’t quite cut it at a championship level.
Yet, he does have some powers as a ballhandler you can use. Out of the ballscreen game, I think he will shoot much to well to just go under all screens, as he has a nice hard dribble pull up jump shot. He elevates and has the length that you can’t bother his shot really, and I anticipate that he will shoot it good enough you can’t go under him. Mitchell also has the very low crossover and big dribble strides you need to split the screen/roll and get to the paint, which is problematic. What he can’t do yet though hinders him in traffic, as he can’t finish well at all with his left hand, and he can’t seem to elevate quickly off 1 foot for some reason. That is a big weakness, because it takes away a “Euro-step” move from him, and it slows him down, because he has to reign in his steps to elevate from 2 feet. That’s a problem.
It is also a problem that he doesn’t always see open guys. I think, though I am not sure, that he “predetermines” his move and doesn’t really read the defense. I don’t think he is selfish exactly, but I do think he makes up his mind what he is going to do prior to the catch, and he does ti no matter how the defense reacts or how the offense flows from it.
I like him much better off the ball, running around screens using his great body and speed, attacking bad closeouts, or spotting up. His 3 point percentage was a mediocre 35%, but a deeper look inside the numbers shows you he is better than that. The numbers say that on “open” shots he was one of the best shooters in the country, and examination of his shooting form along with 81% from the line show that to be true.
Form wise, he is really, really solid, and I think he will only improve with time. I see no reason why the added distance will bother him at this level, and I project him to be a 40% 3 point shooter in time, as long as he limits himself to open, catch and shoot bombs in rhythm, created by others and not himself. When closely guarded and/or rushed, he will get his right thumb on the ball sometimes, which shows up on tape when he misses some of his jumpers in ghastly ways. But unguarded and unrushed, his form is very clean, and I suggest his future employer try to limit his looks to those open shots in rhythm, instead of hoping he creates something out of whole cloth.
Mitchell has good footwork, getting good turn with his feet and nice alignment of the shooting elbow to the rim. His release is high and quick off the catch, and off the bounce he can use his advanced hang dribble and jab game to get to his preferred one dribble left pull up game most of the time. I think he will make the spot up shot very well, and he will be able to shake a bad defender or bad closeout at a good level too. I don’t love him as a ballhandler in a ballscreen situation, but he can do it if you play a team with a weakness on the floor in that area.
Mitchell is fun to watch as a ballhandler after he gets a defensive rebound, but have some antacids handy. Mitchell is going to go at full speed, 100% maximum with no governor right after he gets it. He is going to make some spectacular finishes for you, and he is also going to make some headscratching decisions too. Playing with no fear like he does is both a buoy and a burden for you…..he doesn’t seem to always have a plan with the ball, and he doesn’t always seem to be able to count. Sometimes he’ll crash into 3 or 4 defenders with in disadvantage situations, and he lacks the passing chops and vision to get out of it.
It’s better for you if he is next to a better ballhandler, instead of being your primary mover and shaker. Filling a wing he can be spectacular both as a lob finisher and as a transition draw/kick open shooter. Basically, you want Mitchell making shots, not making decisions, and that covers pretty much his entire offensive portfolio. Bring his usage down, surround him with guys and a system that fits him, and he can be effective. He can’t be the straw that stirs your drink offensively if your team plans on being any good. But in a more limited role with better space, he can be really good for you, especially as a knockdown shooter in a fast paced game.
Lastly, we need to talk about this kid’s intangibles.
Playing hard is a skill….you’ve heard me say that a million times. Playing with enthusiasm is contagious, and so is swagger and confidence and toughness. This kid has “it”....an intangible quality that makes your team better. A kid who was the leader in other sports, a captain, a kid who was a leader in his high school student government, and a kid who plays at a 100 mph all the time. He doesn’t always play smart….we know that. He forces things some, he settles for too many bad shots, can’t finish with his left hand, etc. He isn’t going to be a star, but he will be a high level defender who helps your team win.
So, in summary, what do we have in Donovan Mitchell?
I think we have a pitbull defender who can switch and guard all the perimeter spots, and who can lockdown point guards especially. I think we have a limited (to a degree) but very useful secondary ballhandler who also can make open 3 point shots and run the floor, plus who is a high character guy with premium athleticism, and who is young enough to have higher upside and potential than even I predict he will have. I think he is mainly a point guard defender, but you can put him on the opponents’ best guard if matchups dictate that, but offensively you’d rather have him play off someone else, ideally someone bigger who can be your main creator.
Add that up, if he reaches all of that, and you have an especially interesting and very key player for upper echelon teams, if he develops and gets in the right situation.
Indiana currently isn’t a perfect natural fit for him at #18, but if it were me, depending on who else might have fallen, I’d take him and sort it out later, and try and use him the way I’ve described. I think he can help you win from jump street, and adding him to a perimeter defense with Paul George would be a big time asset for Indiana. The defensive fit is clear, the offensive fit here not so much….but I’d likely take him anyway. He is too good, too young, with too much upside and a high floor/character to pass.
It might actually benefit him, long term, to go to a worse team than we are, as they could NOT follow my advice above, and instead could put the ball in his hands and see if he could actually become a full time point guard. I don’t think that would work, but it might. In the very least, you could let him expand his game and skills in a non pressure way, and see if he can become something even better than I imagine him being.
Or, other teams might like just putting him in slowly, developing him in spots exactly where he can help them when today, so he can experience success earlier and a winning culture. I can easily see how Mitchell could be a trade up target for a team in the back of the 1st round to move up and get, and I’d be trying to do that if I were a playoff team, especially in the west.
However, despite me having him rated high on our Pacers-centric board, I can see a possibility he would slip to us. The fit for him isn’t clean everywhere, and I do think most teams view him as sort of a combo guard….if you think he is an eventual lead offensive guard, someone likely takes him very high and we don’t have to worry about it. I don’t see that, but I can see how you would.
I can see the Knicks liking him at #8, and viewing him as a triangle type point guard….I think that is his draft ceiling. But I hope for him he doesn’t end up there, as I think the Knicks are a dumpster fire.
He’d be scary at Milwaukee at #17, next to Giannis, I think that is his floor...but if I am wrong and they pass, he will potentially be a Pacer. This is an outcome we can root for I think.
But ultimately I think he fits very well, both culturally, and skill wise, in South Beach, and I suspect he ends up playing for the Miami Heat, next to Goran Dragic, and being creatively used by Eric Spoelstra and Pat Riley. I think the Heat take him at pick #14.
Certainly, the potential fall of Donovan Mitchell is something for us to watch out for on Thursday. The Pacers are doing their due diligence we know on Mitchell, who worked out for us recently and reportedly has played well in every city he plays in and with everyone he interviews with. His name will be one who is a big topic on the board I think as we finish the run up to June 22 and for days beyond.
NBA comparable: A better shooting Marcus Smart, a bigger Patrick Beverly, Avery Bradley.
As always, the above is just my opinion only. Feel free to disagree in the comments below!
Tbird
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