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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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Donovan Mitchell
Feb 18, 2017; Louisville, KY, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies guard Justin Robinson (5) and Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) scramble for a loose ball during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports /

Weaknesses:

Decision Making:

Like most young guards, Mitchell isn’t exactly perfect when it comes to making the right moves. When analyzing film, he settles for jumpers way more often than he should. Instead of driving to the basket or kicking the ball to a teammate, he will take deep, highly contested three pointers that have little chance of going in.

According to Draftexpress.com,70.5 percent of Mitchell’s shots were jumpers. This shows that while Mitchell was a very good open shooter, he only shot 40 percent from the field last year and an average 35 percent from downtown. Mitchell’s decision making issues can be prominently seen on fastbreaks. He’ll take a three pointer or force a shot that isn’t there. As a result, he averaged less than a point per possession on fastbreak opportunities.

Passing:

Even though Mitchell is listed as a shooting guard, he will spend a lot of time running the point for whatever team drafts him. Consequently, his passing isn’t up to standards for a guard. Of the 33 top Draft Express guards, Mitchell ranks 24th in assists per field goal attempts. He occasionally takes unnecessary risks and doesn’t make the simple play. He will need to learn how to find cutters and dish it off to the roller on pick and rolls.

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