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Donovan Mitchell recently signed a huge five-year, max extension with the Utah Jazz, which reportedly could reach up to $195 million in value. The 24-year-old recently opened up about what this development means to him, including how his rise to stardom inside the Disney World bubble had a tremendous impact on his new deal.
For starters, Mitchell expressed how delighted he is about finally getting the deal done:
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell called himself blessed to get his contract extension. Said that as far as the fifth-year option, he’s just looking to put himself in the best position possible to take care of his family financially long-term.
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) November 27, 2020
As the tweet above explained, Mitchell has a player option on the fifth year of his new deal (2025-26 season), but at this point, this is not something he's thinking about right now.
The All-Star shooting guard then went into detail as to how he was able to take his game to another level during the bubble:
Donovan said his leap in the bubble came from finally figuring out how to "play with pace." Not meaning going fast and being explosive, but figuring out when to slow it down, being able to make better reads, create space for teammates and setting them up with better shots.
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) November 27, 2020
Mitchell was one of the brightest stars on the Disney World campus. In Utah's first-round meeting against the Denver Nuggets, the former Louisville standout put up averages of 36.3 points (on 52.9 percent shooting), 5.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.0 steals, while also knocking down 4.7 triples on an insanely efficient 51.6-percent clip.
Despite his postseason heroics, however, the Jazz still suffered a first-round exit. Mitchell discussed what he thinks is required for his team to emerge as a true contender in the NBA:
Donovan said that for the Jazz to take the next step, everyone — himself included — will need to commit more to defense and not just leave it up to Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors to bail them out. Also said they "have to hone in on all the details. We’ve tended to fluctuate."
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) November 27, 2020
Mitchell has done more than enough to prove that he indeed deserves that max extension. Now that the Jazz has committed that amount of money on him, it is now time for Mitchell to deliver. He's been great and all, but under his watch, Utah has yet to progress past the second round of the playoffs. This is the next challenge for Mitchell, and it is obvious that he is more than willing to take it on.
