Utah Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell's sense of urgency is at an all-time high after blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2020 playoffs at Walt Disney World.
Mitchell says the Jazz, who have gotten bounced in the first round of the postseason in back to back seasons, have to come out of the gate firing on all cylinders this season since the Western Conference is stacked from top to bottom.
Donovan Mitchell said there has been an urgency to the Jazz with this training camp: "We can't forget we blew a 3-1 lead. … There’s no day where we can have that lapse. The West is stacked. … There’s no easing our way into this. The first round isn't good enough anymore."
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) December 9, 2020
The Jazz were the sixth seed in the West last season. Three teams who didn't make the playoffs last season in the Western Conference–the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans–are expected to make it this season after the productive offseasons each club had.
While the Warriors did lose Klay Thompson to an Achilles tear, Stephen Curry is back in the fold and general manager Bob Myers acquired Kelly Oubre Jr. from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Suns, meanwhile, acquired future Hall of Famer Chris Paul, while the Pelicans traded for Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe.
Donovan Mitchell signed a lucrative rookie-scale extension with the Jazz this offseason. Now that he's been taken care of financially, the All-Star guard has his eyes set on going on a deep playoff run.
In 69 games last season for the Jazz, Mitchell averaged 24.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest. He shot 44.9 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from beyond the arc and 86.3 percent from the charity stripe.
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