Just a Rookie: Inside the Rise of Donovan Mitchell

It took 30 minutes. 30 minutes for a rookie from Louisville to become the center of the NBA world. Hardcore basketball fans knew about Donovan Mitchell before. The 13th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Mitchell has consistently been making noise as a potential Rookie of the Year candidate throughout the season. But as Mitchell walked off the floor of the Staples Center in Los Angeles, he was a star in one of the world’s most popular sports.

NBA All-Star weekend is the biggest weekend during the NBA season – and that includes the Finals. Players and celebrities from across the country gather together to watch the greatest players in the world do their thing. And while the All-Star game is the biggest event of the weekend, the dunk contest is perhaps the most popular. It’s where guys like Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Dominique Wilkins and even Michael Jordan exploded onto the NBA scene. So when Donovan Mitchell donned a vintage Darrell Griffith jersey, and then a throwback Vince Carter jersey on his way to winning the Dunk Contest crown, there was no doubt the rookie had arrived.

“I wanted it so badly,” Mitchell said, “Believe it or not, I’ve been preparing for this since I was a kid.” Mitchell was able to edge out his competitors – Victor Oladipo, Dennis Smith Jr and Larry Nance Jr – to claim the title as Dunk Contest champion, becoming the second Jazz player in history to win the contest.

But while NBA fans finally knew about Mitchell, Jazz fans have known for months that the guard was truly special.

Mitchell has been a fan favorite in Salt Lake City since he first showed up during the Summer League in late July. Jazz fans quickly took note (pun not intended) of Mitchell’s athleticism. Fans showed up nearly 45 minutes early to a game that featured mostly G-League and foreign players, just to see Mitchell’s rim rattling dunks during the team’s layup lines. While Mitchell’s self-alley-oop during the Rising Stars game over All-Star weekend quickly made the rounds across social media, to Jazz fans it was nothing new.

“When I first saw him in Summer League he tried to do some crazy ‘off the backboard’ dunk,” Jazz fan Jacob Mangum recalls. Mangum and his friends had attended many of Mitchell’s first games as a member of the Jazz Summer League team. But as exciting as Mitchell was, Mangum had some reservations at first. “I thought he would be a player that you would sometimes see highlights from because they can only dunk,” Mangum recalls. “He reminded me of someone like Jeremy Evans or Derrick Jones Jr.”

Hesitancy on the part of Jazz fans was to be expected. It had only been three weeks since Gordon Hayward – the savior of Jazz basketball, as most fans saw it – left for Boston. But when Mitchell went toe-to-toe with Jayson Tatum – the third overall pick of the now Jazz nemeses Boston Celtics – Utah fans couldn’t help but get excited. Very excited.

“I remember him playing against the Celtics and he locked down [Jayson] Tatum. He pretty much single-handedly won the game for us right after Hayward left for Boston so it was particularly sweet. That’s when I knew he was going to be good,” Jazz fan and SportsTake contributor Devin Pendleton said.

The hype around Donovan Mitchell had suddenly begun in Salt Lake City. “Ever since he stepped on a Jazz court he’s been phenomenal,” Jackson Kjar says, and he’s not wrong.

It took about two weeks before Mitchell took over the starting shooting-guard spot from Rodney Hood –a player who was looked at as a potential replacement for Hayward. And it only took 26 minutes for Mitchell to make an impact on the court. In Utah’s opening game of the regular season, Mitchell finished with a +/- of +22 as the Jazz came back to beat the Nuggets. Since that game Mitchell has scored nearly 20 points per game, including a career high 41 points against the Pelicans and a 40 point showing in Phoenix.

While Mitchell’s numbers and contributions have grown, so has the love affair with Jazz fans.

One fan, Bridger Wadsworth, has high expectations for the rookie. “[He] could be one of the greatest two-guards the league has seen in the last few decades,” Wadsworth said, while Caleb Miller took it one step further. “In the next few years I think he could be listed as one of the top guards in the NBA,” Miller said.

While comparing Mitchell to the top guards in the league may seem premature, Jazz fans are not the only ones with high praise for the rookie. “He got game,” MVP frontrunner and Rocket’s guard James Harden said. The 6-time All-Star even went on to say that Mitchell is one of the few players he enjoyes watching. Harden wasn’t the only member of the Rockets with high praise for Mitchell. “He’s really good,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “He’s going to be a force for a long time.”

Comments regarding the play of Donovan Mitchell have become common in Utah’s visiting locker room over the past few months. “Utah got a good one,” All-Star Demarcus Cousins (Pelicans) remarked following a game in Utah in which Mitchell scored a career-high 41 points. Even Warrior’s guard Stephen Curry said he’s impressed by ‘pretty much everything’ the rookie does.

But it doesn’t take a Utah based journalist asking questions to illicit a response from some of the NBA’s best in regards to Mitchell’s play anymore.

In recent days multiple NBA superstars have come out in support of Mitchell and a potential race for Rookie of the Year. Two of the NBA’s top talents voiced their support for Mitchell in the comment section of a Bleacher Report video highlighting the rookie. “Roty” one said while the next comment read, “Rookie of the year. Period!” The two commenters? All-Stars Demarcus Cousins and DeMar DeRozan.

“It’s really cool,” Mitchell said of the praise he receives from veterans around the league. “You grew up watching guys like that play, and to have [them] even mention my name at all is an honor,” he said.

But while Mitchell is appreciative of the praise and support he’s received over the past couple months, he’s focused on one goal. Winning.

“5th seed,” Mitchell responded to a Twitter question asking Jazz fans if they would rather the team get the 5th seed in the playoffs or see Mitchell win ROY. The rookie has all the numbers to win the award. His 19.6 points per game rank first among rookies, along with his 128 made threes, while he ranks in the top six for steals and assists. The award is there for Mitchell to win, if he wants it.

“The biggest thing I’ve said is I’d rather make the playoffs than worry about an award,” Mitchell said over All-Star weekend. “I think making the playoffs and winning a title would be more impactful on my career.”

While winning a title may seem out of the question for this year’s Jazz team, fans are confident Mitchell could eventually bring a coveted championship to Utah. “Yes,” Jazz fan Jonny Woolstenhulme responded when asked if he believed Mitchell could eventually win a championship in Utah. “I think he will be a Chris Paul level impact player and with a supporting cast of Rudy Gobert and maybe one other significant addition I can see a championship run.”

Woolstenhulme is not alone in his expectations of Mitchell and the Jazz. “Absolutely, I think that if Utah can add one more good starter, and if Mitchell continues to develop the way he has, the Jazz should be competing for championships in the coming years,” Pendleton says.

While love and expectations have always been high for Mitchell in Salt Lake, the rookie has recently risen to celebrity status nation-wide. Mitchell is a bona fide NBA star. And with the fame and opportunity, comes the pressure. Since Mitchell’s dunk contest victory, the Adidas sponsored athlete has been approached by companies such as New Era and Stance Socks about possible endorsements. “This month has been insane,” Mitchell relates.

The rookie who has averaged 19.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, the same player who was the first rookie since Wilt Chamberlain to lead his team in scoring during a 10-game winning streak now has the attention of basketball fans worldwide. But that hasn’t changed him.

The humble kid from the suburbs New York City, who once questioned if he was even good enough to play in the NBA, remains focused on one thing. Team success. “If you’re out there focused on winning the Rookie of the Year award, it means you’re focused on yourself,” Mitchell said, and the rookie from Louisville is the last person to focus on himself.

Mitchell is always the first to share the spotlight with those he cares about. Whether it’s spraying fellow rookie Royce O’Neale with a Gatorade bottle in celebration of O’Neale’s career high 19 points. Or bringing his mom onto the court to help him celebrate his Rookie of the Month award before a game. Or whether it’s bringing his little sister on the floor of the Staples Center during one of the league’s most popular events just to show her his appreciation for her support, Mitchell has always been a team player.

“You can tell he loves playing in Utah,” Pendleton says. And after having their hearts broken so recently by Gordon Hayward, Jazz fans need someone they can look to, someone they can rely on to carry their beloved Utah Jazz. “He’s special,” Pendleton says. “I remember when I first saw him play I thought he had the potential to be great. And now, seeing that happen, it’s hard to put into words how truly special he is to Jazz fans.”