Utah Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell is understandably excited about the team's slam dunk offseason in which they obtained point guard Mike Conley and sweet-shooting swingman Bojan Bogdanovic, among many other moves.
Speaking with Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune, the 22-year-old believes that the mere presence of both players opens up the floor for him offensively so he has more energy reserved for the defensive end – the side of the ball in which he aims to be on the elite level next season.
“I’m excited. The biggest thing is spacing on the floor, guys who can create and knock shots down. Bogey, who shoots damn near 40%, Mike can get into the paint, hits about 36% from 3, that opens up a lot,” Mitchell said. “And being able to play off each other, that’s something that will be really huge for me.”
This could not be more apparent during the playoffs as the 6-foot-3 two-guard had to contend with collapsing defenses who gave little respect for the lack of shooting ability of Ricky Rubio and the slumping Jae Crowder. Utah responded by immediately opening the summer with a deal that was in discussion as early as the trade deadline but faltered with the team's incessant refusal to include Dante Exum – a trade for Memphis Grizzlies lifer Conley. They then followed it up by signing Bogdanovic away from the Indiana Pacers and agreeing to some bargain deals with free agents' Ed Davis and Jeff Green to round out the bench.
With the flurry of moves, the Jazz is highly-regarded as a favorite to go deep in the wide-open Western Conference this time around, led as always by Mitchell who's also coming off a wealth of experience with Team USA.
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