Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell has been turning heads at USA Basketball's training camp this summer. After the withdrawal of some of the NBA's biggest stars, Mitchell took the opportunity to step up and show team USA what he can do.
Thanks to his excellent showing so far, he's virtually a lock to make the final 12-man lineup. And Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce — on Gregg Popovich's staff for Team USA — can't help but express his admiration for the jazz star.
“I think, right off the bat, he’s a stud,” Pierce told Marc Stein of The New York Times. “He’s taken on a leadership role right from the start. He’s very vocal in our meetings. We’re playing him some at point guard and he’s defending some on the ball. He’s just a confident, vocal, natural leader.”
Last season Mitchell averaged 23.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, shooting 43.2 percent from the floor, 36.2 percent from behind the 3-point arc and 80.6 percent from the free throw line.
The University of Louisville product also led the Jazz to two straight playoff appearances in the wake of losing former franchise star Gordon Hayward to free agency in 2017. Utah was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round in 2019, though they defeated Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder to advance to the conference semi-finals in 2018.
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