I’ll go straight to the point here and say this: the Utah Jazz need Donovan Mitchell to have a breakout season in order to make it far in the playoffs this year. Yes, he had a remarkable season (his best one yet) previously but he’s still capable of reaching a higher ceiling hence why he should be poised to be the best Jazz player this year. Last season, Mitchell averaged 26.4 points, 4.4. Rebounds and 5.2 assists but here’s what he should really improve on: defense. 

Not a ton of players in Mitchell’s age are already built to be an impressive defensive player. Being a lockdown defender takes time and patience but it’s something Spida must work on. When I say defense, I mean his effort in preventing backdoor cuts, switching on screens and the typical on-ball rotations that would help the Jazz on that side of the ball as well. 

The Jazz were the best team in the western conference last season but faltered to a hobbled Los Angeles Clippers team despite having a couple of chances to win the series. It’s fair to argue that pressure may have gotten to them but that’s part of it all. It’s rare to see a player succeed on their first stint, whether that’s in the NBA Finals, Semi-finals or even the NBA Playoffs. And now that Mitchell has the experience, he can use this to boost his confidence come playoff time. 

If Mitchell has an MVP-caliber season, there’s no doubt that Utah will be a top if not the best team in the Western Conference as well. The Jazz have proven that they can win the regular season but it’s succeeding in the playoffs that matters most. Mitchell was an ankle sprain away from achieving just that. And now that he’s well-rested and healthy, the pressure is on him to carry this team back to the playoffs. 

It’s not going to be an easy task for the Jazz to lead the Western Conference again. The Los Angeles Lakers (who have recovered from their Bubble fatigue), Golden State Warriors, Clippers, Phoenix Suns and even the Dallas Mavericks have loaded up and can thrive in the conference as well. Utah needs to start the season the way they did last year, come off strong with great force. For them to do that, Mitchell has to lead the offense every game and be the best player on the floor. 

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It’s also important to note that Mitchell will for sure see defensive coverages from opponents that he hasn’t seen in the past. So, a lot of his play will also depend on the performance of his running-mates specifically Rudy Gobert, reigning six man of the year Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley and the player they acquired in the offseason, Rudy Gay. These players are good enough to back Mitchell up and perhaps remove the defense’ attention on him. If any of these players above have another breakout season as well (which is entirely possible) then it’ll lessen the load of Mitchell and even help him thrive on offense. 

The Utah Jazz’s ceiling this season will depend on Mitchell and the biggest question is if he’s capable of doing it. The past season indicated he can but the pressure and challenge is greater this time around.