Team USA placed seventh in this year's FIBA World Cup, its worst finish ever in international competition. Despite the disappointing run, guard Donovan Mitchell still thinks that playing for the flag was worth it.
“For me, this is an amazing experience,” Mitchell said per The Daily Herald. “Everybody likes to look at the end goal, but when you sit back and reflect, I played on Team USA. That's incredible for me. I think that in itself is amazing. So yes, it was definitely worth it.”
Whatever the outcome was, this is still an incredible experience for the Utah Jazz rising star. Mitchell returns to Salt Lake City next season with a new bag of knowledge from playing in international competition.
Moreover, Mitchell got to spend his entire summer with a legendary coach in Gregg Popovich. He also got a chance to be a leader, being named one of the captains of the team alongside Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker. All of these, especially that Popovich experience, will surely bode well for him heading into next season.
Mitchell was one of Team USA's more consistent players throughout the World Cup. He led the team in minutes per game at 27.2. He finished second on the team in scoring with 13.1 points per game behind Walker. In addition, he averaged 4.3 assists and 5.0 assists while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from long-distance.
In Team USA's crushing defeat to France, which eliminated them from the competition, it was Mitchell who led the way for them. He scored 29 points in the loss against his Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert and the Frenchmen and kept USA afloat despite trailing for most of the contest.