Utah Jazz young superstar Donovan Mitchell is arguably the best player in the 2020 NBA playoffs so far. The 23-year-old combo guard has already dropped two 50+ point games in the Jazz's Western Conference first-round series against the 3rd-seeded Denver Nuggets. After his career-best 57-point explosion went for naught in Game 1, Spidamitchell racked in 51 markers in Game 4 to give Utah a commanding 3-1 series lead.
The amazing scoring feat put him in an elite class, joining the ranks of All-Time greats Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson in the history books. Denver avoided elimination by winning Game 5 on Tuesday, but Donovan Mitchell still went off for 30 points, five assists, two rebounds, and one steal in 38 minutes.
His mano y mano duel with Nuggets' electrifying guard Jamal Murray has truly been one of the most entertaining match-ups inside the bubble in Orlando, Florida.
While Mitchell's stock is at an all-time high at the moment, not a lot of scouts thought he'll be the franchise player that he is right now. The Louisville-alum slipped all the way to 13th in the 2017 Draft and was overshadowed by more accomplished collegiate stars. Three years later, it's safe to say that Mitchell has emerged as the best guard from that entire class.
He made the All-Star team for the first time this season, notching 24.0 points on 44.9 percent shooting from the field and 36.6 percent from downtown in 69 games, along with 4.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.0 steal. Come playoff time, he was a whole different monster, notching a ridiculous total of 188 points in the first five games.
Donovan Mitchell, 23, is having a phenomenal year. His brilliant play is looking quite comparable to some of the best guards in the league, while they were at the same age.
Here are three former NBA stars who played a lot like Mitchell at 23.
Allen Iverson
AI put the entire league on notice the moment he got drafted first overall in 1996. Spida seems to possess the same killer instinct that Iverson had, paired with a fearless attitude each time he gets inside the paint against much taller defenders. Apart from his blistering speed and ridiculous handles, what made Iverson nearly unstoppable was his accuracy from the perimeter and 3-point area.
Mitchell has also worked on that aspect of his game each year and has been automatic against the Nuggets in the first five games. The Answer also took the final shot for his team in clutch situations and came through for his team more often than not. Mitchell seems to be cut from the same cloth, evidenced by his heroics in Game 4.
Similar to Mitchell, Iverson was also in his third year in the league at age 23. The one-time league MVP had slightly better numbers, tallying 26.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.3 steals.
He upped his scoring to 28.5 points come playoff time, but the Sixers were swept by the Indiana Pacers in the second round that year. Mitchell and the Jazz, on the other hand, are currently one win away from upsetting the third-seeded Nuggets in this year's postseason.
Steve Francis
Before injuries got the better of his career, Stevie Franchise was quite the athletic marvel in the early 2000s. As far as explosive hops go, Francis and Mitchell were as blessed as they come — despite both being under 6-foot-4. The two high-flyers even participated in the Slam Dunk contest at one point in their careers. Donovan Mitchell won it in 2018, while Francis made it to the Slam Dunk Finals in 2000 but was outshined by Vince Carter's legendary showing.
Aside from both being light on their feet, Mitchell and Francis play similar playstyles, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Francis, a three-time All-Star, was the Houston Rockets' top-scorer in the pre-Yao Ming era. Francis was a sophomore in the NBA at 23, where he dazzled with 19.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.8 steals in 80 regular-season games. However, he only had one playoff appearance in 10 seasons, as his Rockets team was ousted in the first round in 2003.
Mitchell, on the other hand, has already made it to the postseason thrice in his first three years.
Brandon Roy
Roy stepped in as the de facto leader of the young Blazers squad back in his rookie year in 2006. The same goes for the unheralded Mitchell, who let his game do the talking back in 2017. By his second year, a 23-year-old Roy was already showing glimpses that he could become one of the best shooting guards in the league at the time. Despite missing the playoffs after a 41-41 slate, Roy and the Blazers showed great promise that year.
Roy was a godsend for Portland at the time after the franchise was itching to move on from the so-called “Jail Blazers” era. The same goes from Mitchell, whose arrival gave the Jazz a promising new foundation to build around with.
The 6-foot-6 scorer notched 19.1 points, 4,7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.1 steals in his second season. His percentages were also a lot like Mitchell's this year, as Roy drained 45.4 percent of his field goals and 34 percent of his threes.
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