Donovan Mitchell is arguably the most important player for the Utah Jazz. The Spida's athleticism and crafty methods of scoring got him a spot on Team USA. But while other coaches are worrying whether their players will come back to them in top shape or injured, Quin Snyder had nothing but positive things to say about his star man's selection.
In an interview with The Athletic's Sam Amick, the coach is looking forward to how the international experience will better his game:
“Well, I think on the whole it’s extremely beneficial. I go back to individual players and where they are. And in Donovan’s case, I keep hearing about just reinforcing the importance of defending. That’s something he believes in, but formulating those habits in a competitive environment where there’s something on the line? Those are situations that are hard to replicate, so the leadership opportunities that he’s had, I see those things as being (positive) — the responsibility of making decisions at crucial times in games — I think all those things really help.
Yeah, and he’s fit, too, which is great. I think for Donovan, part of it for him, too, is that preparation process, just the professionalism involved and the maturity of taking care of your body, of still getting your shots in, being ready to practice, rinse and repeat. That’s been, I think, a really good thing for him to feel how impactful his preparation can be.”
Mitchell is building his case to become one of the league's top stars, averaging 22.1 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists a game with a 43% shooting clip. If he picks up a few things from his World Cup foray, we can expect Mitchell to take his game a step higher.
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