Donovan Mitchell’s Impressive Production
Making his second All-Star appearance of his young career last year, Donovan Mitchell finished 11th in the league in scoring, 27th in the league in Player Efficiency Rating, and 32nd in the league in VORP (Value Over Replacement Player). Both Player Efficiency Rating and VORP are two defining metrics that have helped predict the league MVP over the years and last year, Nikola Jokic ranked first in both statistics.
So far this season, Donovan Mitchell ranks 17th in the league in Player Efficiency Rating and has worked his way up to 14th in VORP. Over his last four games, Donovan Mitchell is averaging 30.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists and is shooting 46.1% from the floor right now, making him one of the most dangerous scorers in the entire NBA.
In their most recent victory over the Atlanta Hawks in Utah, Mitchell scored a team-high 27 points and he shot 11 for 20 from the floor, his second-most efficiency shooting performance so far this season.
“It’s less about running the team and managing the game as it is making the right play,” Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said following his team’s victory. “He’s capable of doing a lot of things on the court whether he’s off the ball or he’s handling the ball.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Can Utah Jazz Finally Break Through And Make The NBA Finals?
Following Utah’s victory over the Atlanta Hawks, Donovan Mitchell ranks tied for second in the league in plus-minus at +105 with Nemanja Bjelica of the Warriors, trailing just Stephen Curry of the Warriors (+123).
Being able to score is one thing in this league, but what makes a player great is their ability to impact the game in many different ways. As he has continued to grow in Utah, Donovan Mitchell has become better and better as a passer and now this season, he is really starting to become a better defender as well.
His defensive rating of 106 is currently 5th best on the Jazz out of key players in the rotation and he is just making such a big difference as a whole compared to last season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Can Utah Jazz Finally Break Through And Make The NBA Finals?
Trae Young and Kevin Huerter scored 56 points combined in Tuesday night’s game against Utah, but the Jazz held them in check in the fourth quarter, allowing neither guy to score in the final 12 minutes of play.
“That is a testament to Mike [Mike Conley] JC [Jordan Clarkson], Royce [Royce O’Neale], those three in particular just go in there and do their thing defensively,” Mitchell said in his postgame interview. “Those guys are talented players, Trae Young is an All-Star and Kevin Huerter is a really good player. We just have to go out there and continue to guard. Offense comes and goes and we may make shots, we may not, but at the end of the day, we have to continue to fight on the defensive-end.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Can Utah Jazz Finally Break Through And Make The NBA Finals?
The biggest thing that stands out about Donovan Mitchell and his character is that you never hear him say “I” unless he is referring to himself as needing to be better for his team. Everything is always about the team with him, which is why he truly does possess that MVP-like quality.
