The Utah Jazz landed a true steal when they drafted Donovan Mitchell out of Louisville University with the 13th overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft. He wasn’t a highly-coveted player and didn’t get much attention from the media but he turned out to be the leader and scorer they were craving.
Fast-forward a couple of years and Mitchell is clearly a special talent. He’s led the Jazz to contention and is one of the most electrifying scorers in the league. He’s also coming off his first All-Star nod and the future seems bright for him.
However, former NBA player and ESPN’s analyst Jalen Rose thinks he may not be with the Jazz for much longer, as he could decline a max contract extension when the time comes to make that decision:
“When I look at the 2017 Draft, the other max caliber players are Jayson Tatum and Bam Adebayo. I see their futures with those teams. I don’t necessarily see that with Donovan Mitchell in Utah. Don’t be surprised when the time is for all these guys to get extensions, he (Mitchell) doesn’t sign one. I don’t know if he’s there long term to be their best player,” Rose said.
https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1290667442155511808
There haven’t been any signs that point towards Mitchell not being happy with the Jazz organization. He’s embraced his leadership role and looks like the kind of player who would rather build a contending team than joining other superstars.
Then again, there have been plenty reports suggesting that there’s still a bit of a rift between him and Rudy Gobert, so if the Jazz were to make their 2-time Defensive Player of the Year their top priority, perhaps Mitchell could be packing his bags soon.
Thus far, he’s posted career averages of 22.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.4 three-pointers, and 1.3 steals per game on 43% from the floor. He’s only 23 years old and any team would be delighted to have him.
