Utah Jazz second-year shooting guard Donovan Mitchell was the runner-up to Philadelphia 76ers point-forward Ben Simmons in the 2018 Rookie of the Year voting. Mitchell averaged 20.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game during his rookie season. Simmons, meanwhile, posted 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists, and also registered 38 double-doubles and 12 triple-doubles.

The narrative surrounding Mitchell last year was that he was only a scorer, while Simmons was a complete player due to his stellar passing ability. Mitchell heard the noise all season long and is eager to improve his passing prowess in his sophomore campaign, via Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports:

“I heard the criticisms,” Mitchell said. “Obviously, with the back and forth between the Rookie of the Year, you heard the comparisons that Ben is a passer and I’m not. So, you hear that, but for me, my teammates were the ones that were backing me shooting. I think when you have your teammates and coaches telling you to shoot, you don’t really have a second thought about it and that’s why I thank my teammates incredibly. They have that confidence in me to go out there and play. For them, I gotta get more than three assists, I gotta get more than three rebounds a game. I did it in the playoffs, why can’t I do it in the regular season? That’s pretty much my mindset.

“But I gotta get my assists numbers up, for sure. I’m a much better passer than what I showed last year. Watching games, and watching film, if I slowed down, opportunities would have presented itself a lot more. Being more under control, more efficient. If the All-Star Game comes, it comes, man. But for me, if I focus on myself and how to find ways to get better, that will all fall into place.”

Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first-round of the 2018 playoffs in six games. The explosive scorer has drawn comparisons to a young Dwayne Wade. He’s a high-flyer at the guard position and can score from all areas of the floor. He’s also built mentally like a superstar player. He has that killer mindset already and plays with a chip on his shoulder.

The Jazz have an extremely bright future with Donovan Mitchell as the main cog. He’s a humble player and puts in hard work day in and day out. Expect Mitchell to be an All-Star this season and carry the Jazz to new heights in the rugged Western Conference.