TitoJamesIII
New Member
Hi everyone. Louisville fan and grad here. Figured I'd give some nuggets on this kid. But first I was kinda glad the Jazz took him. I don't really have an NBA team and found myself pulling for the Jazz during this years playoffs. I loved that tandem of Gordon and Rudy, so maybe it can stay in-tact.
So anyway...about Mitchell
Pros
Uber-athletic --his high school dunk videos he'd post were ridiculous.
Amazing attitude - This kid has it all with attitude. He's funny, engaging, articulate, professional. One of our beat-writers said it best - "Once teams see Donovan's measurables at the combine their jaws will drop, but once they meet with him they're gonna fall in love with this kid." His dad has been a scout/rep for an MLB team the kid's entire life. And his dad has kind of raised him for this moment, to be a professional athlete, with emphasis on the professional part. He'll definitely be one of those pillar of the community types. And to boot he's an amazinf teammate. Picture the guy who will shed all on the praise on the guys around him even after being the best guy on the court.
Rebounding - he's not Westbrook, but he has potential to be one of the best rebounding guards in the NBA. He's got a really strong core and long arms and with his slashing ability he is one of those "where did he come from rebounders" he'll steal a lot of defensive rebounds where he wasn't even in the paint when the ball gets to the rim.
Work ethic - his transformation from Fr to So year was really something. He legitimately improved in every facet of the game. One thing I noticed is that he really developed a much better finishing game. Fr year his finishing move was usually just attack the basket and try and dunk on everybody. Obviously, that's not the best NBA strategy. So he developed his footwork exponentially. He added in more drop-steps, spin moves, the cliche "Euro Step" and all the ways a guard can finish amongst the trees in the NBA. He also really developed his cross-over stepback. It became a lethat part of his arsenal that was non-existent FR year. And that's a catalyst for NBA success at the guard position. If you can create space and shake defenders to get that open jumpshot, and then nail it, you're already looking good. His shooting was noticeably better in all areas his SO year. His form was much better and he was much more confident.
Basketball IQ - he became our leader his SO year, along with Deng Adel. That's really tough in Pitino's system because he runs the most complex defenses in college basketball. You'll hear it called a matchup zone by analysts but it's not an accurate depiction. It's just the closes thing they can come up with. Louisville will switch from man to zone back to man all in one defensive position. And they're zone is referred to as a hybrid here, because it has so many different components of a man to man, such as traps, switches, personnel switches, double-teams, etc. it's really really hard to learn. It has so much to do with the scouting reports and he has that side down.
Areas for improvement
Ball handling - don't get me wrong, Donovan is a good ball-handler, so this is more the PG vs SG thing. If he's going to play PG in the NBA, he's not an elite ball-handler at the position. He's probably above average as a ball handler for a SG, perhaps even by NBA standards. I wholeheartedly think he could play either and develop these skills as needed.
Gambling on D - This is a big deal in the NBA these days. Donovan tends to gamble on a lot of passing lane steals. And it obviously worked in college because he led the ACC in steals for pretty much the entire year. But the NBA has evolved into such a 'stay in front lf your man' league. If you gamble and miss on a steal for the pass going to Klay Thompson, then Steph is wide open at the 3 pt line once the defensive rotation is enabled. Pretty much the same scenario regardless of team, since the NBA is such a 3pt shooting league now.
One shooting thing - This could be my OCD creeping in, but I feel like on the fast break that Donovan tends to float a little bit on his jumpers from outside, rather than going more straight up he tends to let his momentum carry him. And with his vertical being so good, this puts his release point lower and would allow trailing or coming defenders more opportunity to alter/block the shot. It also probably could improve his accuracy getting his body alignment better. And trust me, when Donovan's on the court, you're gonna see some running up and down the court. Kid loves to play in transition.
So anyway...about Mitchell
Pros
Uber-athletic --his high school dunk videos he'd post were ridiculous.
Amazing attitude - This kid has it all with attitude. He's funny, engaging, articulate, professional. One of our beat-writers said it best - "Once teams see Donovan's measurables at the combine their jaws will drop, but once they meet with him they're gonna fall in love with this kid." His dad has been a scout/rep for an MLB team the kid's entire life. And his dad has kind of raised him for this moment, to be a professional athlete, with emphasis on the professional part. He'll definitely be one of those pillar of the community types. And to boot he's an amazinf teammate. Picture the guy who will shed all on the praise on the guys around him even after being the best guy on the court.
Rebounding - he's not Westbrook, but he has potential to be one of the best rebounding guards in the NBA. He's got a really strong core and long arms and with his slashing ability he is one of those "where did he come from rebounders" he'll steal a lot of defensive rebounds where he wasn't even in the paint when the ball gets to the rim.
Work ethic - his transformation from Fr to So year was really something. He legitimately improved in every facet of the game. One thing I noticed is that he really developed a much better finishing game. Fr year his finishing move was usually just attack the basket and try and dunk on everybody. Obviously, that's not the best NBA strategy. So he developed his footwork exponentially. He added in more drop-steps, spin moves, the cliche "Euro Step" and all the ways a guard can finish amongst the trees in the NBA. He also really developed his cross-over stepback. It became a lethat part of his arsenal that was non-existent FR year. And that's a catalyst for NBA success at the guard position. If you can create space and shake defenders to get that open jumpshot, and then nail it, you're already looking good. His shooting was noticeably better in all areas his SO year. His form was much better and he was much more confident.
Basketball IQ - he became our leader his SO year, along with Deng Adel. That's really tough in Pitino's system because he runs the most complex defenses in college basketball. You'll hear it called a matchup zone by analysts but it's not an accurate depiction. It's just the closes thing they can come up with. Louisville will switch from man to zone back to man all in one defensive position. And they're zone is referred to as a hybrid here, because it has so many different components of a man to man, such as traps, switches, personnel switches, double-teams, etc. it's really really hard to learn. It has so much to do with the scouting reports and he has that side down.
Areas for improvement
Ball handling - don't get me wrong, Donovan is a good ball-handler, so this is more the PG vs SG thing. If he's going to play PG in the NBA, he's not an elite ball-handler at the position. He's probably above average as a ball handler for a SG, perhaps even by NBA standards. I wholeheartedly think he could play either and develop these skills as needed.
Gambling on D - This is a big deal in the NBA these days. Donovan tends to gamble on a lot of passing lane steals. And it obviously worked in college because he led the ACC in steals for pretty much the entire year. But the NBA has evolved into such a 'stay in front lf your man' league. If you gamble and miss on a steal for the pass going to Klay Thompson, then Steph is wide open at the 3 pt line once the defensive rotation is enabled. Pretty much the same scenario regardless of team, since the NBA is such a 3pt shooting league now.
One shooting thing - This could be my OCD creeping in, but I feel like on the fast break that Donovan tends to float a little bit on his jumpers from outside, rather than going more straight up he tends to let his momentum carry him. And with his vertical being so good, this puts his release point lower and would allow trailing or coming defenders more opportunity to alter/block the shot. It also probably could improve his accuracy getting his body alignment better. And trust me, when Donovan's on the court, you're gonna see some running up and down the court. Kid loves to play in transition.
