Super rookie Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz reflected on their superb season. From low expectations, the Jazz made it all the way to the second round of the playoffs. Moving forward, Mitchell expressed that he's not satisfied with moral wins. The 21-year-old wants championships.
Via The Players' Tribune, Mitchell reflected on the night the team went back to Utah. He noted that everyone was satisfied with the season that the Jazz had:
I think a lot of people, just looking at our team from the outside … they might have said, “Oh, this Jazz season? This Jazz season was a win.” Like, just because we had beaten our expectations and everything, somehow that was a W.
A moral W.
He continued, pointing out that what the team cared about the most was getting a championship:
If we had been a satisfied type of team, we’d have probably gone nowhere. It’s crazy how many excuses this team had to fall back on. Lost a big star in free agency. Had these injuries. Had this backcourt of a new guy and a rookie. But man … at no time did anyone on our team even think about excuses. Didn’t think about excuses, or expectations, or any of that.
All we cared about was being the best.
And all we ever had in our minds as a goal was a championship.
In his first season with the Jazz, Mitchell finished averaging 20.5 points, 3.7 rebounds 3.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.4 three-pointers per game. He shouldered an even bigger load during the postseason, averaging 24.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.3 three-pointers in 37.4 minutes per game.
Mitchell's maturity is definitely beyond his years. It's a rare sight — a rookie knowing exactly what he wants. He's on a steady trajectory to greatness already. Let's see how Mitchell's second year in the league turns out.
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