Entering his third season in the NBA, Utah Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell knows it's time to take the next step in his development and be more consistent.
After bursting onto the scene as a rookie by averaging 20.5 points per game, Mitchell put up 23.8 points for the Jazz in his second season, but his efficiency went down just a little bit. The high-flyer shot 43.2 percent from the field this past season compared to 43.7 percent during his rookie campaign.
Mitchell shot a horrendous 18.2 percent overall in Game 5 against the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2019 playoffs. The Jazz lost the series in five games.
With point guard Mike Conley and small forward Bojan Bogdanovic in the fold next to Donovan Mitchell and center Rudy Gobert, the Jazz are now title contenders and need Mitchell to become a superstar for them.
“I have two years under my belt now,” Mitchell said, via Tony Jones of The Athletic. “The first year was all great, and then the second year I started off slowly, but then it got better. It’s tough to see some of the guys go who you have spent your entire career with. Guys who are professionals. We are going to miss them all. For me, it’s really about taking that next step. It’s about going out there and playing well and being consistent.”
Mitchell shot 32.1 percent from the floor in the five-game series against the Rockets. That's not going to cut it.
With Conley next to him in the backcourt, Mitchell should be able to improve his efficiency since teams won't be able to load up on him. Look for the Jazz to compete with the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors for Western Conference supremacy in 2019-20.
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