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2017 OKC Thunder NBA draft prospect series: Donovan Mitchell

By Austin Sternlicht

Mar 17, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) rives to the basket against Jacksonville State Gamecocks forward Norbertas Giga (12) during the first half in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) rives to the basket against Jacksonville State Gamecocks forward Norbertas Giga (12) during the first half in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports /
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The skills:

Elite defense:

Mitchell has the potential to be an excellent NBA defender. Sure, he’s undersized, but he more than makes up for that with his incredible wingspan. Thanks in part to his length along with great instincts, Mitchell forces a ton of turnovers. According to draftexpress.com, he averaged 2.6 steals per 40 minutes, the highest amount of any top 100 prospect. And because of his long arms, he has the ability to alter shots and even make plays at the rim defensively. Being more than 210 pounds, he can battle with stronger defenders, which means he could switch onto some forwards..

Offensive Upside:

Mitchell showed during his two years at Louisville he has the potential to be a quality scorer at the NBA level. He has proven the ability to knock down open shots. Draftexpress.com data shows that Mitchell was in the 90th percentile of making open baskets. Another specific area Mitchell has shown to thrive is his pullup game. Draft Express’ Jonathan Givony highlights how Mitchell has become and effective shooter.

"One area that Mitchell made significant strides in as a sophomore was as a perimeter shooter, more than tripling the amount of 3-pointers he made as a sophomore (even accounting for minutes played) while seeing his percentage rise from 25 to 35%. His mechanics are sound, with great balance, footwork and rise on both his pull-up and spot-up jumper, and he seems to have the potential to continue to improve in this area, especially when asked to play a more compact offensive role, with better shooters and spacing around him. Mitchell is nevertheless a shot-maker who impresses you with his ability to elevate sharply off the ground and create space from opponents off of crossovers, step-backs and hang-dribbles. He also catches and shoots on the hop in a fluid motion, and hit a strong 81% of his free throws as a sophomore. –"

Source: ©DraftExpress

In today’s league, arguably the most important skill for a guard to have is shooting. If Mitchell can shoot effectively from distance while also being a hound deffensively, the Louisville combo guard will be a quality player in this league for a long time.

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