The Jazz entered the draft with 4 picks and the need to make some bold moves to keep their impending free agent Gordon Hayward. 2 trades and three picks later, they ended up not doing half bad. Here is the scoop on the new lottery pick on the way better than lottery bound Jazz:
Donovan Mitchell
The Jazz traded the 24th pick in the draft and their 2015 lottery pick in Trey Lyles to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for their 13th pick in Louisville lottery star Donovan Mitchell. “Donny” was ecstatic upon hearing he was traded the Jazz, adding, “They were the first team I worked out for.”
The Jazz dream this guy will be like one 13th pick they once drafted that turned out to be the best player ever for the franchise: Karl Malone.
At 6 foot 3 with a 6 foot 10 wingspan, Mitchell’s length will make him a key Jazz asset at the guard position. His length could make up for his shorter frame and possibly make him a candidate to play significant minutes at the shooting Guard position. The Jazz have some questions on the future state of their shooting guard and point guard positions so Mitchell could fill either void in the foreseeable future.
Mitchell is very athletic so that will help the future of a bright young team that prides itself on long athletic players who can also explode to the basket. He had the best standing vertical leap in the combine at 36.5 inches and the fourth best running jump at 40 inches.
Some people say that this kid has some weaknesses that might prevent him from being a star. He is a streaky outside shooter but hits only about 36 percent from beyond the arc. While he still needs to work on his decision making and finishing in traffic, the fact that his interview displayed an A+ level of character is evidence that his athleticism will be polished into a solid player in a couple of years. Just call him Donny Baller because this kid can ball.
Final Grade: A-