Mitchell Credits Teammates For His Efficient Play
Oct 26, 2019, 11:09 PM | Updated: Oct 29, 2019, 3:27 pm
Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz in action during a game against the Sacramento Kings at Vivint Smart Home Arena on October 26, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell’s first shot against Sacramento was a fancy scoop shot to the basket that rimmed out. That type of shot can give a player hope or portend to just one of those bad shooting nights.
For Mitchell, it turned out to be his only missed shot until the 3rd quarter in Utah’s 113-81 blowout of the Kings.
Mitchell made his usual fancy lay-ups and was a perfect 3-3 on shots from beyond the 3 point line. Possibly the most impressive part of his 6-9 night of shooting is that he really didn’t force any shots.
Why?
“It’s just been easier for me to find guys and obviously the spacing definitely helps,” said Mitchell.
That spacing included Bojan Bogdanovic who helped the bury the Kings with 26 points on 10-18 from the field and 5-9 from the 3 point line.
“Even if he has an off night I think it helps having him (on the floor) because it’s the threat,” Mitchell added.
YESSIRRRRR!!!! MY BROTHA FROM ANOTHA 💯🔥💯🔥 https://t.co/P1cecHLPn3
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) October 27, 2019
Two plays in the 3rd quarter seemed to reinforce Mitchell’s trust in his teammates and better shot selection. Early in the period, Mitchell split two Kings defenders and drove to the basket. But instead of trying to launch a difficult contested shot near the rim, he found Bogdanovic open for a shot beyond the arc. The shot didn’t fall, but it was the right pass at the right time.
“He’s attacking and he’s got his eyes out,” said head coach Quin Snyder. “He’s looking for people and he’s attacking the rim and that’s a big part of it.”
A bit later in the 3rd quarter, the ball was passed to Mitchell for a potential 3-pointer. With a guy bearing down on him, Mitchell made the extra pass to the corner to Jeff Green who nailed a triple.
Mitchell is 27-46 from the field in 3 games this season which is a tidy .586 shooting percentage from the field. It’s a small sample size, but it could also lead to a trend.
“But now (I) just got to continue to build on that. Obviously it’s just 3 games, but now I have to build on that throughout the rest of the season.”
