Before the 2017 NBA Draft, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell was unsure of his ability to make the move to the next level. 12 months later, he’s one of the Association’s most visible and invigorating stars. Last month, the NBPA christened him the Leader of the New School and, just last week, he was named this year’s Breakthrough Athlete at the ESPYs.
Crazy how things work out, huh?
That said, Mitchell’s meteoric rise isn’t really a recent phenomenon, his massive potential was evident from the jump. Even if some of the league’s Rookie of the Year voters curiously cited Ben Simmons being good “for the whole year” as their reason for taking him over Mitchell in the ROY race.