The All-Star Case For Donovan Mitchell

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – NBA All-Star voting is underway and the Utah Jazz have three hopefuls worthy of being named to this year’s team. This is the case for Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell to make his second All-Star bid.

Owning the NBA’s best record at 16-5, the Jazz should expect to be represented by at least one, and as many as three All-Stars at the game proposed for March 7 in Atlanta.

Even if the NBA and the Players Association can’t agree on scheduling the game, the league will still name All-Stars for both the Eastern and Western Conferences.

Donovan Mitchell has been named the @nbacares Community Assist Award winner for the 2020 offseason for his extraordinary charitable work last year. #TakeNote https://t.co/4ltdBUF0hQ

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 29, 2021

The All-Star Case For Donovan Mitchell

Mitchell is looking to be named to his second consecutive All-Star team after his breakout performance last season earned him a nod in 2020.

The guard is averaging 23.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and a career-high 4.6 assists in his campaign to become a perennial member of the mid-season team.

#NBAAllStar | @spidadmitchell pic.twitter.com/w2cJFlVHr5

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) February 3, 2021

Though Mitchell has seen a slight dip in his scoring and rebounding averages, his efficiency numbers have never been better, and it’s one of the primary reasons the Jazz own the best record in the NBA nearly a month and a half into the season.

Mitchell is averaging a career-high in effective field-goal percentage at 52 percent, erasing his reputation as a high-volume, low-efficiency scorer.

Mitchell Is One Of The NBA’s Elite Shooters

The Jazz guard is shooting a career-best 40 percent from the three-point line while taking a career-high and team-leading 8.5 attempts per game.

Mitchell is one of just seven guards in the NBA this season attempting at least seven three-point attempts per game while connecting on 40 percent or better.

Among all shooters in the NBA, only Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry and Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum attempt more threes and make them at a higher rate than Mitchell.

Donovan Mitchell entered the NBA as an athletic rim attacking freak and now four seasons into his career is shooting 40% from three on 8.5 attempts per game.

Only Steph Curry and CJ McCollum shoot a better percentage on more attempts.

He's truly an elite, elite shooter.

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) February 3, 2021

Perhaps most importantly for Mitchell’s case, the guard owns the reputation as the best player on the league’s best team, which should not only secure him an All-Star bid but should earn him MVP buzz should the Jazz continue their high level of play.

The advanced metrics may not agree that Mitchell is the team’s most impactful player, but the fourth-year star continues to elevate his game and his team on a nightly basis.

Will Mitchell Make It?

As he did last season, Mitchell faces a logjam in the Western Conference guard rotation in hopes of making the All-Star team.

Though James Harden and Russell Westbrook have moved east, both of whom earned All-Star bids in the West last season, Steph Curry and Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George have re-entered the conversation as near locks to make the roster.

Hey, @utahjazz fans.

You can start voting for favorite Jazz players to be represented at the @NBAAllStar game TODAY!!!

Here's how! #TakeNote https://t.co/98k34UtUcm

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 28, 2021

Both players are on playoff competitive teams in the West and have better overall averages than Mitchell so far this season. Additionally, each player has a longer, richer tradition among the league’s elite.

With Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic likely to earn one starting guard spot in the West, and Curry likely to fill the other, Mitchell will be competing for one of the two final reserve guard spots or two wildcard spots to make the team.

Both George and Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard should make the team due to their teams’ records and impressive statistical profiles, leaving one of the two wildcard spots for Mitchell to claim.

The #NBAAllStar case for @UtahJazz guard #MikeConley.

(By the way, if you retweet this, it counts as an All-Star vote for Mike!)#TakeNote https://t.co/nVuknqCbZ8

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 3, 2021

The guard’s biggest competitors will be San Antonio Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant for the final wildcard spot.

Considering the Jazz record and Mitchell’s recognition as a star-level player, the guard should feel confident about his chances of making the team, though, at this point, it’s not quite guaranteed.