Davion Mitchell – Guard – Baylor
The Junior guard out of Baylor was a part of the National Championship team that just took down the undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs and Davion Mitchell was a big part of Baylor’s success all season long. All-around, Davion Mitchell is a very solid and intriguing prospect, even though he is 22-years-old and turning 23 in September. He does not have the potential for growth like some of the other younger, high-level prospects in this draft class, but Mitchell’s game is going to translate to the NBA perfectly and could immediately make an impact for whatever team he is on.
Defensively, he may be the best prospect in this year’s draft class because of how pesky and strong he is as an on-ball defender. Impacting the game on both ends of the floor is extremely valuable at the point guard position, which is why Mitchell finds himself as the highest rated Junior in the 2021 draft class.
For some reason, Mitchell stock has also been going down leading up to the draft, which is quite puzzling. Again, he does not possess the potential that other young guys do in this draft class, but Davion Mitchell is arguably the most NBA-ready guard in this class, which is why he is a player many teams could be looking to trade up for.
A handful of mock draft nation-wide have Mitchell projected to go between 8-10, but if he falls past the Memphis Grizzlies with the No. 10 pick, he could absolutely wind up being a player that numerous team try to trade up for with the Charlotte Hornets, who own the No. 11 pick and do not need a point guard like Mitchell.
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If Davion Mitchell begins to slip in the draft, then teams with late first-round picks will definitely be looking to trade up to get him and one team that comes to mind is the New York Knicks. He fits their mold of being a hard-nosed defender perfectly and with both the No. 19 and No. 21 picks, the Knicks could absolutely trade up to get a player like Mitchell.
Where Davion Mitchell ends up getting drafted is a big question mark and could have major implications on how the rest of the draft plays out. He is absolutely a guy that teams will not only look to move up to select, but a prospect that is very much worth trading up to draft.
